Innocence is a virtue
by KuroiTori-sama
Summary: Fighting Aizen took away his powers, or  so he thought. But different forces in the universe have their own plans for Ichigo, and they wont let him slip away just because of that. Among other the soul society wants him as a captain... Full summary inside
1. Chapter 1: The end… or is it?

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

Rating T (I guess)

Full summary: The first chapter serves as an introduction. It is an immediate aftermath of the final battle between Ichigo and Aizen at the pinnacle of the winter war. Story afterward has six months pause. It focuses on Ichigo trying to adapt to the post-war world. Not as easy as it first seams, of course, especially since the surviving captains want to make him a captain. And a captain of the Fifth division nonetheless. After a lot of persuading, he agrees, but like always, he gets in way over his head. Caught between the tattered fifth division with morale hitting rock bottom on one side and the chaos of the reconstruction of soul society on the other, will Ichigo be able to come out on top yet again – or will he be driven insane? When the darkness rears its ugly head to threaten the word once more, will Ichigo be able to lead his division to victory – or will darkness claim everything, as all hell breaks loose?

Couples: So far Ichigo/Momo (but not straight of the bat!). Other pairings may come in time.

Mini author note:

"Hollow" – normal talking in the outside world (anywhere other than Ichigo's inner world) and Ichigo talking inside the his inner world

'_Hollow'_ – Ichigo thinking

'_**Hollow'**_– Ichigo's inner hollow talking to Ichigo while Ichigo is in the outside world. Ichigo's inner hollow thinking in the inner world. Zanpakutou talking to the shinigami while the shinigami is in the outside world. Zanpakutou thinking in the inner world.

"**Hollow" –** Ichigo's inner hollow talking inside the inner world. Zanpakutou talking.

(Hope this wasn't too confusing, now let the story begin!)

O-O-O

–– **INNOCENCE IS A VIRTUE ––**

**_ARC I - TILT THE SKY_  
**

Chapter one: The end… or is it?

O-O-O

There was blood everywhere. Ichigo couldn't even tell which belonged to him and which was Aizen's. He knew that things would go bad when Aizen released his bankai while in this new hougyoku-induced hollow form. He tried to push himself up with his right hand. He wasn't moving.

'_Oh, yea… I forgot – Aizen cut it off.'_

He pushed against the ground with his left hand. The wound on his chest was bleeding intensely. Aizen still had to move, but Ichigo did not dare to hope that the traitorous captain could be dead. He got on his knees, using Tensa Zangetsu as support. He could feel tears flowing down Tensa Zangetsu's face.

"**He still isn't dead**_**."**_ Said the zanpakutou.

Ichigo stood in front of Aizen's body. With his left hand, held the blade, now hidden behind the black reaitsu that gushed out of its hilt, as it merged with his hand.

"Not for long." Black reiatsu erupted in a massive burst, enveloping him. His eyes began to glow from the accumulated power illuminated his face. "Mu…" The blade appeared in his hand, raised above his foe. He swung down. He could hear Tensa Zangetsu in his mind, frozen in that one moment, as the ethereal black blade descended downwards.

_**'This is our final goodbye.'**_

Eternity in a single moment.

Ichigo could feel the sorrow behind his zanpakutou's words since, in the end, deep inside he felt the same. But both understood what was at stake here. And neither would hesitate.

'**Cast away your fears…' **Zangetsu whispered, as he began to fade.

'_Look forward…'_

'_**Move forth…'**_

'_And never, ever stop…' _

'_**Retreat and you'll only age…' **_The zanpakutou was already half-gone, his voice echoing like it came from a great distance.

'_Hesitation will bring you death…'_ The form of the Final Getsuga was rapidly disappearing. Already Ichigo's face was revealed, as the wrappings dissipated.

'_**Let's end this, now!**__'_

That moment passed.

Aizen screamed… The blade made contact… cutting through the earth… through both the heavens and hell altogether...

"…GETSU!"

O-O-O

In the distance, Kurosaki Ishin slowly awoke. Seeing the monstrous wave of destruction heading his way, he braced himself to withstand the force of the Final Getsuga Tenshou.

'_Oi, oi! Leave at least some of Rukongai standing… Ichigo…'_

Once the massive tidal wave of dust and debris rolled over him, he looked up, only to see the annihilated landscape of what was once the peaceful Rukongai. In the distance, he saw the tiny collapsing form of his son. It was the price of that power… power he knew all too well.

O-O-O

"Pheeeew! Sure am glad to have got away on time!" The man waved his small fan in front of his face, blissfully ignoring the fact that the fan was half-burnt – just like his own body. It was one of many souvenirs he got from his fight with Aizen.

"Knock it off! You're annoying, Kisuke!"

"But, Yoruichi~ …"

"Be quiet, you! I'd slap you if I had any strength left." She pushed herself in a more comfortable position. The number of broken and shattered bones didn't do her any help. "Do you think that was enough to kill him?"

Urahara sighed, his cheerful mask gone, as he clutched the hilt of his shattered zanpakutou, Benihime. "I honestly don't know. After all, every prediction we made turned out incorrect. I'd rather just leave it to Kurosaki-san." With a dead serious face he continued. "If there ever was anyone that could win this fight, it would have to be him. So I'll just believe. Isn't that right, Yamamoto-sōtaichō?"

Yoruichi turned her head to face the leader of the shinigami, as her body was still too weak to move. The wounds covering the sōtaichō's body were horrendous. He had numerous newly formed scars, along with a sill bleeding gut wound on his stomach, but worst still was the damage on his left hand. Even Unohana-taicho couldn't do anything about it – such was the price of the forbidden kidou, the Itto kaso. The hand looked like a piece of charcoal. And if he wasn't careful, it could kill him.

"I'm glad you both survived the destruction of the fake Karakura town, Yamamoto-sōtaichō, Unohana-taichō." Yoruichi said. She looked back in the direction of the battle. "So… Is it finally over?" She almost failed to hear his small sigh of relief, and for the first time in the past one thousand years, Yamamoto Genryuusai Shigekuni seemed like an old, broken man, feeling the full brunt of the centuries passed.

O-O-O

_(In the human world, among the ruins of the fake Karakura town)_

A black tear appeared across the sky. Once stabilized, the figures of eight individuals emerged from it. As they leaped to the ground, they were shocked to see the hellish landscape that the city has become. In spite of reminding themselves that this was not the real Karakura, they were still devastated, as if someone just robbed them of something precious. Despite seeing the three of the four massive pillars still standing, they realized what could be the only possible outcome that would result in such devastation. They started running through what remained of the streets. The redhead was the first to start searching the ruins, using his large sword to quickly move or break large chunks of rock or concrete.

"Quickly! Look for survivors!" Hearing his words, his companions scattered. Just in case there were any surviving arrancar, they moved in groups of two.

One of those groups moved towards the town center. Of the two, the large man pointed at a collapsed building.

"Kotetsu-san."

The person he addressed, Kotetsu Isane, looked in that direction. Instantly, she saw a bloody form of a person half-buried beneath the rubble. Her medical training kicking in, she ran up to the wounded person. It was a woman, badly injured. She had numerous cuts and lacerations covering her body, and her left hand was gone, severed cleanly off. Only by the few remaining shreds of a haori did Isane realize who she was looking at.

_Soifon-taich__ō__… What on earth happened here?'_

"Can you help her?" The large man asked.

"Sado-kun, I…" She looked at the body of the fallen captain. "Y-yes. Miraculously, she's still alive. But… were the arrancar here _this_ strong…"

Meanwhile, a few blocks away, Rukia and Hanataro were trudging through the crater of a massive cero. Just outside of the ring of devastation, they saw a figure lying in the ground. Rukia immediately recognized her captain.

"Ukitake-taichō!" She ran up to him, checking for signs of life. To her relief, she could feel a faint pulse. "Hanataro!"

O-O-O

Near the riverbank, Ishida Uryuu was trying to help the large captain to breathe. Next to him was Kurotsuchi Nemu, ready to administer any painkillers or healing drugs necessary. She looked at her companion, who was desperately trying to stop the bleeding on the massive chest wound that went all the way from the neck to the navel.

"Nemu-san! Please help me!"

And she wanted to… but remained still. In her eyes there was only sadness. After performing many surgeries under her father's supervision, she could tell whether or not people had a chance for survival.

"Let it go kid…" Ishida was shocked to hear the large captain talk. "It's alright."

" Komamura…taichō."

O-O-O

She was fading in and out of conscience. During those few moments she was aware she realized just how difficult it had become to simply breathe. Her body carried many wounds, but all but one were mostly healed. She had Kira to thank for that. _'Kira-kun…"_ he was lying nearby, no longer conscious. Her teeth clenched as she felt horrific pain coursing through her chest. It was the wound from Hyourinmaru. She could feel the frozen flesh on the wound's edge, and the stabbing pain with each breath.

"S-shiro-chan…" She managed to call out for him.

The look of shier horror on his face… as he realized what he had done…_'Shiro-chan…'_ She tried to cough, only to choke on her own blood. She tried to move a bit. The world went black, as death crept closer, and her consciousness faded. Thus, she was unaware that someone heard her muffled coughing, unaware of the incredible luck that befell both her and the remaining shinigami – and that luck went by the name of Inoue Orihime…

O-O-O

_(Two days later, in Soul Society)_

Sōtaichō was holding a regular meeting regarding the aftermath of the winter war. Of the thirteen captains, present were only two, Unohana-taichō and sōtaichō himself along with four fukutaichō, Kira, Renji, Nanao and Nemu. Everyone knew why sōtaicho had called them there, since a large portion of the Rukongai and even little of the Seireitei were damaged during the cataclysmic showdown between Kurosaki Ichigo and the traitor Aizen, therefore making the meeting go smoothly. They revised the records for the reconstruction of Rukongai districts, a task that seemed daunting even to the full might of Seireitei. Now that they were in shambles, it seemed near-impossible. They also reflected on the casualties of war, mourning the losses of Komamura Sajin-taichō and his fukutaichō, Iba Tetsuzaemon. Though the death toll in the real world was minimal, the meeting if two powerhouses like Ichigo and Aizen left hundreds dead in its wake. The biggest death toll was among the numerous unranked shinigami, among who there were most from the first, fourth, fifth and eighth division, who had lost their lives while directing the mass evacuation of the entire east Rukongai.

At the end of the meeting, Captain-commander made a proposition that caught everyone's attention. Before he even realized it, Renji was presented with the position of captain for the seventh division. The Captain-commander was the first to congratulate him on his promotion.

"Due to your exceptional skills and valor shown in battle, I name you Abarai-taichō of the seventh division of the Gotei 13…" The old man tapped the ground with his cane. "Congratulations."

Standing there completely flabbergasted, Renji held his new captain haori in hand. He was caught completely off guard with the sudden captaincy nomination and immediate promotion. Wide eyed, he just stood there as one by one, the shinigami present congratulated him.

O-O-O

_(Meanwhile, in the fourth's barracks)_

As the sun went down the horizon, Hanataro felt relieved that his shift as Kurosaki's personal medic ended. Just to be on the safe side, he ran another check on Ichigo's injuries. Satisfied that his patient was finally out of mortal danger and at last showing signs of recovery, he exited the room. What he failed to notice though, was that the moment he stepped outside of the room, Ichigo's eyes began to move, as he entered the REM state.

O-O-O

He ran down the length of one of the many skyscrapers in the sideways landscape of his inner world. The desolateness of it made him quiver. It was constantly deteriorating, as one skyscraper after the other collapsed into the black void beneath. There was no one there, neither Zangetsu nor his inner hollow…

'_Of course, they are dead…'_

(Flashback)

'_**This is our final goodbye.'**_

(End flashback)

'_Zangetsu…' _He continued running, desperate to see anything… See anyone… With every step, the clouds began to turn dark. He looked around himself. He would welcome anything at that moment… even… though a part of him didn't want to admit it… even the hollow.

"**Che! You're just saying that… Ichigo!"**

'_That voice!'_ Ichigo frantically searched the surrounding area, but couldn't see anyone there.

"Hey! Hollow! Are you there? Answer me!" He turned around, only to see the hollow standing a few feet away from him. Just like Ichigo himself, the hollow had no zanpakutou with him.

"**Yo, how's it been… partner?" **

"You're-… But… how?" The surprise was clearly evident in Ichigo's eyes. Regaining some of his composure, he asked again. "How are you still alive?"

The hollow just shrugged, and then sat down.

"**Who said anything 'bout being alive?"** The hollow frowned, his expression dead serious. **"I died, you're most likely dead or dying… You even killed Zangetsu, you know? No matter how you look at it, you DID sacrifice him for victory."** The look in hollow's eyes was… unlike anything Ichigo had ever seen. If described in human terms, it looked like… like deep apathy. Gone was all the aggression, all the anger. The hollow had truly accepted his death.

**"Not that I accuse you or anything…"** Now that was totally unlike anything the hollow Ichigo knew – he almost sounded sad. **"I lost ninety percent of my power at that moment you know… It really pissed me off too. Look."** With that, he raised his hand to his face. Seconds later, there on his face resided a mask. He took it off and began spinning it on his finger. Ichigo immediately recognized it. Bone white on the right half and with three red marks covering the left side… It was the mask he originally had… The mask the way it was when it first appeared on his face, when he emerged from the shattered shaft.

"**Ahh… Just forget it. Fate is a bitch in love with irony." **Something about the way the hollow said it made Ichigo feel pissed off. In single step, Ichigo got to the hollow, grabbed him by the Shihakushō and pulling him up of the ground. He started shouting in his face.

"What the hell is your problem, damn it!" Disbelief was clearly evident, both in Ichigo's voice and eyes. "HOW THE HELL COULD YOU GIVE UP SO EASILY!" That uninterested stare in the hollow's eyes just pissed him off even more. "I KNOW YOU! FROM THE MOMENT WE MERGED TO FORM THE FINAL GETSUGA!" He shook his head. "MAYBE EVEN LONGER! NOTHING IN THIS WORLD COULD MAKE _YOU_ GIVE UP ON LIVING!" The hollow just stared in to Ichigo's eyes, as if nothing Ichigo said concerned him.

…

…

WHAM!

The hollow was now lying on the ground, his hand on his face. Ichigo grabbed him once more.

"DIDN'T YOU SAY YOU WOULD FIGHT FOR THE CROWN! TO BE THE KING!" his hands were shaking. "THAN WHY DID YOU GIVE UP! WHY!" He tried to punch him again, but this time the hollow managed to grab his hand.

"**So, you want to know why, eh?"** The hollow sat down again and crossed his legs. **"Guess I could tell ya then." **He tilted his head a bit. **"What was it that you said before… You knew me… from the moment we formed the Final Getsuga?"** He sighed. **"Then let me ask you something…" **Ichigo was shocked to see life return to the eyes of the hollow. He was furious. **"THEN HOW COULD YOU ASSUME… THAT YOU WERE THE ONLY ONE TO DO SO, ICHIGO!"** The hollow was really furious. **"I saw… I SAW WHAT I TRULY WAS! AND IN THAT ONE MOMENT, EVERYTHING WAS TAKEN FROM ME! MY DREAM, MY PRIDE, MY POWER!"** just as suddenly as the outburst of anger came, it faded away. **"I was just a splinter of your soul that went rogue. My whole existence was an error… And I wanted to cut you down so badly… to take the crown… to be the King… I STILL want to cut you down, I want to do it so badly that my hands still shake with excitement every time I just think about it." **Seeing the look on Ichigo's face, he smiled. **"No need to worry anymore… That error I spoke of… it's being corrected as we speak." **He waved his left hand, as if he was waving good-bye.

Ichigo's eyes widened in horror. The arm was transparent.

"**What's with that look, dumb-ass?" **He pushed Ichigo away and spread his arms theatrically.** "Aren't ya happy? You'll finally get what you've wanted – a hollow-free soul!" **his eyes widened in shock as his face collided with Ichigo's fist. The force of the impact forced the hollow into the air. His mask slipped from his grasp and shattered as it hit the ground.

"Am I happy? You idiot… I thought I just said… I'VE SEEN INSIDE YOUR SOUL!" For the first time since the conversation began, the look in the hollow's eyes reflected shock and surprise – this was not something he had expected. "Don't you remember? Tensa Zangetsu said, 'The one I wanted to protect was you.' When we were one… Did you really expect that I wouldn't notice… THAT I WOULDN'T NOTICE YOUR VOICE HIDDEN BEHIND HIS!"

"**Ichigo, you-"**

"Wrong! We… WE ARE _ICHIGO_!" The hollow couldn't help but laugh. Ichigo looked so pathetic…

"**You moron…"** his body rapidly began do become more transparent. His feet already have disintegrated into black reishi. The black mist raised up his body. Below it, nothing remained. As it reached his face, the hollow gave Ichigo his recognizable grin. **"Hey, idiot… just so you know…"**

The hollow's last words echoed inside Ichigo's mind, shattering all the memories of the evil monster, leaving behind…

'_**Thanks partner… I owe you one.'**_

His eyes opened. Inspecting his surroundings, Ichigo found himself unable to figure out his location. Judging by the looks of things he was obviously in a hospital… though the hospital itself may be anywhere – it could be in Soul Society, but it might as well be in the human world. All hospitals looked the same to him. He felt a sensation flow through his right hand – the one that Aizen had cut off.

'_I heard of the whole phantom limb thing… Never thought I would get to see what it really meant… Guess Inoue still hasn't returned…'_

He tried to get up, but felt his body riddled with pain.

'_Okay, that was a seriously stupid thing to do... Wonder what time is it, anyways?'_

He looked through the window of the room – it was night. _'Just my luck…'_ It meant that since the room didn't look like E.R. that there was a small chance that anyone would check up on him till the morning. _'Might as well get some more sleep, then…'_

As he closed his eyes, he remembered the conversation with his inner hollow. He really meant every word he said to his bleached counterpart. The moment their three souls joined to create the Final Getsuga, Ichigo gained an understanding of both his zanpakutou and his inner hollow. What he realized at that moment was that, despite everything, the hollow was no less 'Ichigo' than he himself was.

Slowly but surely, his consciousness faded away, as he entered his dreams once more.

It was already dawn when Ichigo woke up for the second time, though this time he woke up when he felt someone's hand on his forehead.

Once the feeling stopped, he slowly opened his eyes. The room itself it was still partially dark due to the window blinds. Seeing the other person in the room seemed unaware that he was awake, Ichigo decided to use it to his advantage. Since the person took a step back seconds before Ichigo opened his eyes, he couldn't tell who it was. _'What the hell am I doing here being paranoid… It's most likely just a nurse doing a morning inspection or something.'_ Deciding to drop the pretend act, he called out.

"Who's there?" The shadowy person seemed to show little to no surprise that Ichigo had seen him/her. Instead, the person took a step forward, exposing his face to rays of the morning sun.

Ichigo's eyes went wide with surprise.

"But… but… you're…" it had to be a dream, it had to! This man that stood before him… This man was… "Impossible! You died on my hands!"

The man just grinned at hearing this.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, hero of the Winter War…It is truly regretful that you have lost your shinigami powers… I was sent to fix that." He took another step closer, the grin never leaving his face. "Now, this might hurt a bit… Don't worry, I soundproofed the room… Feel free to scream to your heart's delight." Ichigo tried to move away, but found himself unable to move even an inch. The shier presence of that man pinned him to the bed. With every new breath, breathing became ever more difficult to do.

The man placed his arm on Ichigo's chest.

"Sorry about this."

Ichigo felt as if his head was about to explode from the pain tarring through his body. The gray reiatsu filled up the entire room, like a small hurricane.

Ichigo screamed.

Luckily, he passed out before it was over. The last thing that remained in his mind before he lost his consciousness was the face of the person who was not shinighami, hollow, or human, and the disbelief that _he _could still be alive…

'_Muramasa…'_

O-O-O

_(Minutes after Ichigo passed out, once the ritual was over)_

"Truly, this was a regrettable situation, Kurosaki Ichigo." Muramasa sat down on Ichigo's bed. "But I couldn't afford to hold back. If I had… You would have died." He shook his head. "Don't die, Kurosaki Ichigo… This world still needs your strength." He stood up, ready to leave. He turned around to face Ichigo, as if he had forgotten something.

Kneeling next to him, he placed a small piece of paper in Ichigo's hand, then closed the fist.

'_It will explain him everything about tonight.' _Using his mental link, he addressed his four companions in the Dangai. _'If he pays attention to what I wrote, there's a very high chance that everything will be alright. Still… Are you sure we're doing the right thing? He could become a powerful enemy one day. The power that killed Aizen can kill us as well.'_

Through the link, he received his response.

'_It couldn't be helped, Muramasa. Without him there's a big chance that our enemies will gain the upper hand. After all, were not as crazy as that asshole Aizen was, trying to break the boundaries of the world… Now, return to the Dangai. The medical experts of the fourth division are about to have a miracle on their hands in a matter of minutes.'_

Muramasa couldn't help but smile upon hearing this. How many times would someone get the chance to pay back a debt after one's death and achieve a major point for his cause at the same time? Severing the mental link with his comrades in the Dangai, he walked outside the room.

'_Though we cannot make a move for at least four years, I cannot wait to see the outcome. Kurosaki Ichigo, You will change… EVERYTHING!'_

O-O-O

End of chapter one

Authors notes: Well there you have it, the first chapter of 'Innocence is a virtue.' I have a few things to explain in the end.

Thing No.1 – No, Muramasa will not become Ichigo's zanpakutou. (Thought I might write it here, just to avoid possible misunderstanding)

Thing No.2 – The reason why the words Muramasa said were not written the way I said zanpakutou words will be… I'm not telling! (For now at least, or it will spoil the story)

Mugetsu – Moonless sky (power of the Final Getsuga)

REM state – Rapid Eye Movement, dreaming

Phantom limb – The sensation that an amputated or missing limb (even an organ, like the appendix) is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts.

_Well then…_

_See ya next time! Don't forget to review!_

_~KuroiTori-sama_


	2. Chapter 2: the academy days

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

Rating T (I guess)

Authors note: To every one of you wonderful people – thank you for liking my story! I was actually scared of writing this second chapter, since I didn't want to let anyone down.

Mini author note:

"Hollow" – normal talking in the outside world (anywhere other than Ichigo's inner world) and Ichigo talking inside the his inner world

'_Hollow'_ – Ichigo thinking

'_**Hollow'**_– Ichigo's inner hollow talking to Ichigo while Ichigo is in the outside world. Ichigo's inner hollow thinking in the inner world. Zanpakutou talking to the shinigami while the shinigami is in the outside world. Zanpakutou thinking in the inner world.

"**Hollow" –** Ichigo's inner hollow talking inside the inner world. Zanpakutou talking.

(Hope this wasn't too confusing, now let the story begin)

O-O-O

Chapter two: The academy days…

O-O-O

It was already six months since the Winter War ended, and though the land itself still bore the scars of the final battle, most of the Gotei 13 has recovered. Once Unohana-taichō confirmed the miraculous over-night recovery of Kurosaki Ichigo, it was only a matter of time until the sōtaichō would ask him to join them. To speak the truth, the only person that was surprised by this was the orange haired teen himself, since he was out cold when Yamamoto proposed it for the first time.

But, even though the majority of the captains gave their approval alongside the newly reformed Central 46, there were two problems to this plan. For once, Ichigo was not very keen to the idea.

Second, and probably more important was the fact that Ichigo's power, though recovering, was at the time almost non-existent. It took him over three months just regain enough spiritual power to remain in presence of the captains without fainting – even when they would suppress their own powers. For someone who achieved his Bankai in less than three days, recovery felt like an eternity. And he did try anything and everything to try and shorten it.

He would often sneak out of the fourth division's barracks to brawl with the unranked members of the eleventh division using an asauchi they gave him before he got his own zanpakutou back. On one occasion, he even asked the twelfth division for help – to everyone's surprise, the temporary acting captain Kurotsuchi Nemu was quite willing to offer help in her captain's absence.

It wasn't just the pressure of the captaincy nomination that made Ichigo train hard to get his strength back. The other thing was the note Ichigo found in his hand when he woke up after what he thought was a nightmare. In it Muramasa, or the person that looked like Muramasa, left chilling thoughts of an upcoming threat. Something about the way it was written convinced Ichigo that it was the truth. At the end of it there was a warning – _Reveal this to no one. Beware of the Royal Guard, especially their commander._

As to why he would have to do so, or even what this Royal Guard itself was, Ichigo couldn't be sure – but that unmistakable feeling in his gut made it clear – whoever… whatever it was, it would not meet an unsuspecting pray. Instead, it would find him ready, lying in wait, poised to kill.

Throwing a black cape over the stump of his right hand, Ichigo stepped outside of his room. He tried his best, but in the end, he couldn't help but think of his souvenir and how it has affected his life so far.

'_At first I thought that Inoue still hasn't returned to heal it… But that wasn't the truth.'_ It was very difficult for him to accept it. _'Inoue spent three days and nights healing my arm, until she collapsed from exhaustion.'_ Even through the combined efforts between her and Unohana-taichō, it turned out that the residual reiatsu that remained in the wound was too strong, making recovery near impossible.

'_Crap. Now I have to learn how to fight all over again.'_ Seeing his destination up ahead, he shook his head, as if to expunge all the depressing thoughts.

Inoue still hasn't given up, so neither would he.

O-O-O

An hour later, he was relaxing in the fourth's garden, sitting on the grass, his back against a tree, when he heard a voice calling him.

"Ichi~go~!" He turned around, looking at the entrance to the garden. There, leaning against it was Matsumoto Rangiku.

"Rangiku?" Seeing an old friend like her came like a surprise to him, since throughout his entire stay in the Soul Society he hadn't seen her once. From what Renji and Hisagi had explained to him, he understood that she was deeply hurt by Ichimaru's death. To her, Ichimaru was an old childhood friend… maybe even more than a friend.

She took a step closer.

"Ichigo, did you hear the news! Captain Hitsugaya woke up in the hospital!" Ichigo was relieved to see Rangiku so happy because of the news of her captain's recovery. He was beginning to fear that the death of her childhood friend was turning the once cheerful vice-captain into a very depressed woman. Her eyes were still read though, and even though she tried to conceal it, the faint traces of sake in the air revealed that she was recently drinking. He chose to ignore it.

'_Ichimaru… I still can't forgive you for what you've done…'_ Ichigo thought as he looked at Rangiku. _'You lied. You deceived everyone, even the ones you cared about. You murdered shamelessly anyone who would get in your way… But in the end you sacrificed your own life to save everyone… I heard your last words…'_ Rangiku's smile slowly receded, as if she had guessed what was on his mind. _'So… I guess we'll just call it even, then… Okay?'_

"Ichigo… You okay?"

"Hugh? Ah, sure… Just got lost in my thoughts, that's all." Giving her a reassuring smile, he continued in a lighter tone. "So Toshiro's awake now? You gonna visit him now?" Hearing the name of her captain, she cheered up immediately.

"Yea, I was wondering if you would like to come. Himamori is already there." He raised his eyebrow at this.

"Hinamori?" He could faintly remember the girl coming to his aid once, during the zanpakutou uprising.

"Oh, I forgot! You two were never properly introduced, right?" Ichigo's frown deepened, as he searched his memories. He could remember seeing the girl somewhere else… Once he realized where it was, though… It was actually hard to forget it, the place that is…

It was where the captains' made their last stand against Aizen… What the result of Kyōka Suigetsu manipulation was, sprung into his mind.

Rangiku grabbed his hand, pulling him up and towards the hospital.

"Come on! I'll introduce you!"

"H-hey! Slow down, Rangiku!" He called out to her, stumbling over some rocks. Pretending she didn't hear him she speeded up, still tugging his arm. "Alright, alright! I'm coming, now let go of me damn it!"

O-O-O

Several minutes later, they were inside the hospital and talking to none other than fukutaichō Kotetsu Isane.

"Um, maybe you should come sometime later… Maybe…" Isane just gave of a small scream when Rangiku ran past her, still pulling Ichigo behind her, as if she was worried he might try to run away.

"Thanks, Isane-san~! I'll say 'Hi' to the captain for you!"

Isane facepalmed. The only reason she didn't call for the guards was because Captain Hitsugaya had requested that she does not, as if he anticipated something like this from his vice-captain. But, even so…

'_There is no way I won't get in trouble for this…'_

O-O-O

It took Rangiku some time to muster the courage to open the door to Hitsugaya's room. In the end, it was Ichigo who took the first step.

Stepping inside the room, they saw only one bead facing the window. On it laid Hitsuaya Toshiro, captain of the tenth division. Other than him, the room was empty, whoever visited him was now gone.

At first, Toshiro seemed surprised, but seeing his vice-captain enter the room made everything click into place. _'She dragged you here, didn't she?'_

"Matsumoto, Kuros-" He bit back a scream as Rangiku pulled him into a bear hug. "GAAH! Damn it, Matsumoto! Are you trying to put me in another coma?" He tried to push her away, when he heard Ichigo's voice.

"Good to see you're back to your old self, Toshiro."

"That's Hitsugaya-taichō to you, Kurosa-" He froze up, staring at Ichigo. He seemed to have completely forgotten about his vice-captain. His eyes widened. "Kurosaki…"

"What?" It took Ichigo a few seconds to figure out what Toshiro was looking at. As realization struck him, he simply shrugged his shoulders, subconsciously moving the black cape over his shoulder to better conceal the stump.

"It's nothing, forget about it." Seeing that Toshiro was about to say something, he quickly bounced back to the previous subject – namely, Toshiro and his own wounds.

"How are you feeling? When did you wake up anyways?"

"Hugh? I'm fine. I woke up this morning actually." A faint smile briefly appeared on his face, only to be instantly replaced by his usual seriousness. " Unohana-taichō told me of the outcome of the war. Seems like I took the most beating… Aside from Komamura, that is…" Toshiro paused for a moment remembering the fallen captain. Though they may not have been close friends, they were still comrades in arms, and he respected him greatly.

Toshiro flexed his arm, grateful that it was reattached. He instantly felt guilty for doing it in front of Ichigo, even though the shinigami substitute didn't seem to care, or even notice for that matter.

During the next hour they remained there, recalling the past, trying to remember the brighter moments. In the end, it was Unohana-taichō who had to chase them away, saying that the patient needed rest.

O-O-O

It was already evening by the time he came back to his small new apartment inside the fourth's barracks.

After their visit to Toshiro, he said good-bye to Rangiku and went strolling throughout the streets of Seireitei. He spared with Aramaki of the eleventh division. Despite how appalling his swordsmanship was, Aramaki (also known as Makimaki) was the strongest opponent he could face in a fight at the moment, any stronger and their reiatsu would cripple him.

As far as reiatsu levels were concerned though, Ichigo was actually weaker than Aramaki, but requested the spar nonetheless, since he remembered the first thing that crazy shopkeeper Urahara had taught him – reiryoku increases most easily when the soul is in danger of termination. So basically, if he wanted to recover his powers fast he would have to put his life on the line. After three consecutive wins, Ichigo was completely exhausted and gasping for air. He also got a black eye as a souvenir during the third fight when he failed to pay attention, but he tried to ignore that.

'_Tomorrow's gonna be fun…'_ he thought to himself, sarcastically. Oh, he was in for it definitely. Not only would he have to go to the shinigami academy for the first time, but he would also have to take up after-school Kido classes with Tessai who had just arrived to Soul Society just for that purpose.

'_Somebody just kill me already… You'd be doing me a favor, really…'_

O-O-O

Tomorrow morning, outside the shinigami academy…

Ichigo was definitely not happy with what was going on.

"Gaaaaaah! Why do I have to wear **these**!" he pointed his finger at the white-and-blue uniform the students wore. The pineapple headed friend was getting ever more annoyed.

"Stop your whining already! If you study here you have to wear it, those are the rules!"

"Give me a break, Renji. There is no way I'll ever wear something so embarrassing!" Renji facepalmed.

"Listen, you can't whine about every little thing that doesn't go your way!" His frown deepened. "And that's **Abarai-taich****ō** to you, strawberry!"

"What ya call me, Pineapple-taichō!"

"Carrot top!"

"Eyebrow tattoos!"

"…!"

They were ready to brawl.

"What are you two idiots doing?"

The two aforementioned turned around. Standing there was Rukia, giving them her deadliest glare. In under five seconds their expressions changed from angry to confused then to embarrassed.

"What were you two thinking, making a scene in the middle of the academy? A captain and a pauper screaming at each other like that!"

"Rukia-" Renji started coming up with an excuse. She cut him off with a slap across his face.

"Don't you give me 'Rukia'! I saw the whole thing. And as for you…" She turned around, making Ichigo gulp. It was amazing how this midget could occasionally scare him more than Aizen himself. "You will wear the uniform and learn how to be a proper shinigami even if it kills you, got that!"

"No wha-" He had to hold back a yelp as she elbowed him in the ribs. He looked at her standing there with her arms crossed. _'Bitch…'_ As if she was psychic…

"What was that you said?"

"Yes ma'am. I'll wear the uniform, ma'am." She smiled. She looked down to the ground and saw Ichigo's zanpakutou. It brought back many memories – of the time when they were in the world of the living, fighting hollows on daily basis. She examined the zanpakutou's hilt, the decorated guard and finally it's massive six feet long blade, sheathed in the equally large scabbard.

"Ichigo, how's your training coming along?" He raised his eyebrows at her question.

'_Of course, I forgot. After she was transferred to Byakuya's division two months ago to be his fukutaich__ō__, Rukia couldn't oversee my training.'_

"Yea, okay I guess. Though Zangetsu has been stuck like this for over a month now, ever since I got him back." He reached down to pick up the massive sword. "It turns out I'm already fit enough to take the graduation exam, but since they want me to be a captain I still have to take classes."

Rukia seemed pleased to hear this. When Ichigo asked her why, she gave him her wide smile.

"At least now there will be some peace and quiet in this world," she smirked, "seriously Ichigo you're like a magnet for trouble." She shook her head, her smile never leaving her face. "We could use someone like you in Hueco Mundo right now." This got Ichigo interested. She immediately corrected herself. "The you from before the end of the war. The way you are now you would just make a nice snack for even the weakest of hollows."

'_Midget.'_ He remembered why the mention of the hollow world got him interested.

"In Hueco Mundo? So the project 'forward base' is still going?"

"You heard about it too? Well of course it still going! It's not like Nii-sama will hand Las Noches back to the hollows. He and the whole sixth division are working hard to hold and fortify our positions." She made a short pause. "We're having increased trouble with hollows trying to retake the castle though." Her eyes were filled with worry as she said the words that got both Ichigo's and Renji's full attention.

Renji for once, couldn't believe his ears.

"But that's impossible! Rukia! What do you mean the hollow's have a new king?"

Ichigo himself was equally flabbergasted._ "Byakuya is having problems defending?" _the very thought of such a possibility gave Ichigo a nauseating feeling in his stomach. Something was terribly wrong… _'Could it be that it was already starting! But Muramasa said it would be calm for at least another four years.'_ Before he could ask any questions though, Rukia answered.

"I know, but Nii-sama ordered capture of the hollows that attacked Las Noches since they appeared to be too well organized for ordinary raiders. It turned out that they were following the orders of someone they only referred to as _'Ao'_. They could not tell us anything else. It would be a real problem if the hollows would unite while we our lines are stretched so thin. The worst part is that nii-sama believes that this king has most likely nothing at all to do with Yammy."

Ichigo's frown deepened. He heard from Ikkaku earlier that Kenpachi returned from Hueco Mundo some five months ago, and that the last of the Espada managed to escape the two captains the moment they considered him dead. _'I knew it! Damn it! Seems like things are gonna get ugly again…'_

"On a lighter note… Ichigo?"

"Hugh?"

She gave him her most wicked smile.

"Didn't your class start five minutes ago?" The two shinigami began to laugh loudly, as the former shinigami substitute ran towards the nearest bathroom to change his clothes, shouting 'Shit!' while running.

She turned to face Renji again.

"So… Tell me… How's his training for real?"

O-O-O

Ichigo felt like dying. _'Sure wish I was dead…' _It was late evening when he returned from Tessai's special class. His entire body was pulsing in pain and he was covered in bruises.

'_Why do all of those damn spells have to have such long incantations? I can't even remember half of their names, let alone the incantations.'_ He rubbed his sore head. _'To think that that asshole would slap me so hard every time I made a mistake…'_ He picked up a pair of clean clothes and towels and headed for the shower. _'And I thought Urahara was scary with his teaching methods…'_ Ichigo remembered a beautiful face imprint he made on the training room floor after a failed byaku-something spell exploded in his hand.

He was just about to enter the small bathroom when he heard someone knocking on his door. He put away his clean clothes and went to the door. It seemed that, for the moment at least, hygiene would have to wait.

"Come in."

The door slowly opened, revealing the figure of a young girl standing on his doorstep.

"Um, hi there…" He greeted her, while inwardly wondering. _'Who the hell are you?'_

"Um hello, Kurosaki-sama. We haven't met before, have we?" He looked at her, still trying to remember. "I'm Momo. Hinamori Momo."

"Hinamori? Aizen's fukutaichō?" The moment he said it though, he felt like kicking himself. Her expression went from cheerful to depressed in an instant. _'What the hell was I thinking? And after Rangiku warned me, too… Shit!'_

"Kurosaki-sama, is it true?" She looked at him in suspense. "Is it true that you will become the captain of the fifth division?"

"Um… I haven't decided yet… I'm not even sure I want to be a captain."

She fell to her knees, her head near his heat as she begged him.

"Please! Please accept the position of the captain! Kurosaki-sama!" Hearing the '-sama' added to his name again caused a vein to begin throbbing on his forehead. "Please redeem my division!"

"Get up."

Afraid that he might tell her to go away, she lowered her head to the point where her forehead nearly touched the floor and continued to beg.

"Kurosaki-sama! You're the savior of the Soul Society! Please… I beg you to redeem my division!" He couldn't take it anymore. Grabbing her by her shoulders, he pulled her up to her feet. Still holding her, he said it to her face.

"Never call me -sama, damn it!" Seeing her eyes fill with fear, he lowered the tone of his voice. "I said I still haven't decided whether or not I want to be a captain. If I decide to join I'll take up the position of the fifth division, okay? Now enough with the begging, sheesh…" Realizing that he was still holding her, he let go while trying to fight back a small blush.

He walked over to his bed and sat down. Seeing that she had yet to move he asked her.

"So, are you gonna stand there all night, or are you gonna come inside?" She blushed slightly and entered.

"So was there anything else you wanted to ask me, or did you just come to humiliate yourself?"

"Kurosaki-sam-… I mean, Kurosaki-sa-"

"Please, Hinamori, no honorifics. They give me a headache… Ichigo is just fine." She immediately began waving hands in front of her face.

"No…No… I couldn't address you so casually, Kurosaki-sam-… I mean," She looked at the floor while her face turned red. "Can I just call you… Kurosaki…kun?" Ichigo just rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Sure, whatever. Now what was it that you wanted to ask me?" Seeing that she was still standing there, he moved over to let her sit down on the bed. _'Now why is she blushing for!"_ She sat down next to him.

"I was wondering…" She looked him in the eyes. "Kurosaki-kun, could you tell me how you defeated Aizen-s- the traitor captain?"

"Why do you want to know that?" She nervously rubbed her forearm. "I… I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." Ichigo agreed, he definitely didn't want to recall the memories of that final, nightmarish battle, where he had to kill his opponent so thoroughly… He didn't just take away Aizen's life… In the end, he robbed him of everything. Just two Mugetsu attacks were enough to win. With the first one, he shattered the Hougyoku. With second, he took Aizen's life…

But still looking in her pleading eyes, he found himself explaining.

O-O-O

Somewhere half way into the story, she just went over to the bathroom and took the first aid kit. Silently, she listened to his story asking only a question here and there whenever she'd fail to understand what he meant. When she started to treat his cuts and bruises, he didn't say anything at first, but when she asked him to take of his shirt he had to ask her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She smiled at him, trying to pretend her face wasn't red enough to put Renji's hair to shame.

"A good fukutaichō should always look after her captain, right Kurosaki~kun?"

"You mean you still haven't given up on asking me?"

"Nope~!"

'_Geez, just like a second Rukia… Hope her drawings are better though…'_ Ichigo remembered when he ended up at the fifth's barracks when he got lost once. The people there had even less self-esteem than Hanataro, if such a thing was even possible.

During the whole awkward nurse situation, Hinamori had to restrain herself from staring at the stump of Ichigo's right arm. It wasn't just the gruesomeness of the wound that kept drawing her attention… She could feel a small streak of reiatsu emanating from it. Even though it was faint and distorted from the hollowfication, there was no doubt about it – it was Aizen's.

Trying to think of something to distract her thoughts, she asked Ichigo to continue his story.

"But that's about it, actually." He really wanted to avoid the part where Aizen became a hollow and tore of his arm.

"So, at that point you used the Final Getsuga Tenshou?"

Deciding that he would rather lie to her than tell the full story, he simply nodded. As she got ready to leave, she said something that got his attention.

"I'm glad, Kurosaki-kun." _'Hugh, now what?'_ he thought. "I'm glad that you killed that traitor."

'_If you're really glad… than why do your eyes look ready to cry…'_

"He was a danger that had to be stopped, and you…" She was surprised when he grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug.

"That's enough."

"Kurosaki…kun…" It was the only thing she could say, as her face turned blood red from the blush. He placed his hand on her hair, gently stroking it. "You don't have to torture yourself like that… You don't have to hate him… Okay?"

"But… He was-"

"We may well never know what drove him… But he's in the past now… and we're not."

"But…B-But…" her eyes filled with tears. Glad that she couldn't see his face, he rolled his eyes. But this had to be dealt with.

"Let it out, Hinamori… Just let it all out. If you don't…" he pulled slightly away so he could look in to her eyes. Her tears were already flowing. "…it will eat you from the inside, until there's nothing left."

With a sorrowful scream, she pressed her head against his chest, as torrents of tears flowed down her face.

"K-Kurosaki…k-kun, I-I…"

"Don't worry about it…" he said, as he led her back to the bead.

He sat down, still holding her in his arms. As the hours passed by, the silence was broken only by occasional sobs of a heartbroken girl. The boy next to her said nothing, for there was nothing to be said, and instead silently followed her home as the morning sun began to rise.

O-O-O

Asauchi – The class of nameless Zanpakutou that all low-class shinigami wield. Shinigami who are still in training - those who do not yet belong to any of the Gotei 13 - all wield generic Zanpakutou.

Reiatsu – Spiritual pressure

Reiryoku – Spiritual power

Mugetsu – Moonless sky

Author's notes: Just to mention it, residual reiatsu was not something I came up with. When Grimmjow brought Inoue to heal Ichigo after his first fight with Ulquiorra, when the Ulquiorra stabbed Ichigo's chest. She had trouble rejecting the wound since it had too many residual reiatsu. Not sure the term itself was the same that was used back then though.

Oh, and the new hollow king's name 'Ao' means blue in Japanese. (There is a big reason as to why it is in Japanese and not in Spanish, but I'm not telling yet!)

_Well then… Hope you liked it._

_See ya next time! And don't forget to review! (No seriously, don't.)_

_~KuroiTori-sama_


	3. Chapter 3: The four worlds, part one

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

Rating T (I guess)

Mini author note:

"Hollow" – normal talking in the outside world and shinigami talking inside inner world

'_Hollow'_ – thinking

**'**_**Hollow'**_– Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking to shinigami while shinigami is in the outside world. Inner hollow/zanpakutou thinking in the inner world.

**"****Hollow"** –Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking inside the inner world.

… – Short pauses that couldn't be described otherwise. (Only when used in an empty line)

A/N: To every one of you wonderful people – thank you for reviewing! I was actually scared of writing this chapter, since I didn't want to let anyone down. Unfortunately, right after I finished the third chapter over a week ago, my computer crashed'n'burned, and the chapter (along with all of my other unfinished chapters of my other stories) had gone to _**fanfiction heaven**_ (I hope they're in a better place now… *sob*sob*).

_This version of the third_ _chapter_ hopefully still holds all the best parts of the dearly departed old version, plus a bunch of new stuff that I came up with in the meantime.

2nd A/N: I've recently decided to switch the English terms such as captain, vice-captain, etc. with their Japanese equivalents. So from now on, it'll be taichō for captain, fukutaichō for vice-captain, etc. I'll try to get around and change that in the previous two chapters, but since I'm sort of lazy, that might take a while. ^_^' ENJOY THE SHOW, FOLKS!

* * *

Chapter three: The four worlds, part one

* * *

Through the hellscape, over the collapsed towers, he ran.

His world – ruined. What little remained of the once proud skyscrapers that reached for the clouds, were ruins. It was somewhat ironic, that they no longer pointed to the side, but rather, up.

As Ichigo ran through the crater-filled streets, the light of his world was almost gone. Up above him, high up in the clouds, a moonless sky was painted black, starless… ridiculing the final moments of the war. Still, he somehow managed to see where he was going, even if just barely.

'_This is not my world.'_ He thought, slowing down, as he got to a ruined skyscraper.

Its top was blown of under angle, so it now ended in a tip. All of the windows were shattered, and the glass fragments littered the ground around it. Still, Ichigo recognized it. After all, only one skyscraper had the black flagpole.

'_Zangetsu…'_

He was startled by the sound of an explosion, as another unstable skyscraper toppled to the ground, leaving behind a huge cloud of dust.

Ignoring it, Ichigo sat beneath the ruin, with the flagpole overhead, trying to fight off the depressing feeling that threatened to swallow him whole.

'_Why can't I get stronger, Zangetsu…?' _ He wrapped his hand around himself, holding the stump of his right hand. _'I train and train and… Is this my limit now…? Is this as far as I can go…?'_

He didn't know for how long he sat there.

A single tear rolled down his face.

Ichigo stood up, brushing it off, then reached for the hilt of his zanpakutou, grasping it firmly, till his knuckles turned white. With his tattered resolve strengthened, he continued to move forward through the night.

* * *

Deep within the shadows, concealed by the still present dust cloud, a dark figure observed the teen walking away. The man was garbed in a long, shapeless cloak. Its ends were hardly visible, they seemed to blend and merge with the surrounding world. His yellow eyes, concealed with a black hood that cast a shadow over most of his face, irradiated hatred towards the orange haired teenager. When he felt the boy's reiatsu shift slightly in the distance, he grasped his chests, where his now non-existing scar went all the way through his chest, reaching as deep as the spine. In truth, beneath the cloak, there was no physical scar, not anymore at least, ever since his body was restored, but memories still remained.

'_Not yet…'_ He reminded himself. _'I have to exercise patience, or I will lose everything.'_ One day, he would confront the child that was now once again leaving his grasp. On that day, he will claim his revenge.

But for now, revenge would have to wait. He had to remain hidden, hidden from sight, in order to absorb as much of the boy's power as he possibly could.

And he had another reason to remain hidden – skyscrapers never fell on their own. They may have been unstable, yes – but not that unstable.

He moved through the streets, careful not to be noticed. He pulled himself closer to the walls, making sure to use his cloak – a perfect camouflage. With it, unless he would reveal the portions of his face or hands, he seemed like part of the scenery.

A feeling of familiarity washed over him, as he felt a dark reiatsu appear near him. The man crouched down, hidden in shadows. It appeared that his hunter had found him, yet again. The man silently observed, as his hunter walked towards him, still examining his surroundings, as if he still wasn't sure where exactly his target was; only that he was near. The hunter wore a white Shihakushō, a complete opposite of the shinigami's uniform, walking confidently over the rubble. Just like the man himself, his hunter was unarmed.

As his hunter walked passed him, the man jumped, trying to tackle his enemy.

They fell to the ground.

"What's the matter, trying to go easy on me?" The man asked with a calm voice, almost on the verge of whisper. "That hubris will cost you your life, Hollow."

"**Like hell I am. And don't call me that!"** The bleached version of Ichigo shouted back, kicking the black-garbed man off of him. The man grabbed a fist-sized rock and swung it at the Hollow.

His enemy dodged.

**"I have a name."** The Hollow spoke.

"It's fake."

Yellow eyes stared off into yellow eyes.

"If you had brought that zanpakutou of yours…"

"**It's needed elsewhere." **The Hollow readily replied. **"I can deal with a nuisance like you barehanded."**

"And that is exactly why you will lose." the man said. He sent a surge of focused reiatsu into the ground. As it tremored, the hollow stumbled towards him.

"**Is that the best you got, nuisance?"** As soon as he spoke, he heard the unmistakable sound of concrete shattering. **"…Ahhhh… Shit…"**

A second later, both of them were buried beneath a thick layer of rubble, formed from the collapsing skyscraper. Like a ghost, the man in the black cloak emerged unscathed. Making sure his hood hid his face; he walked away, knowing that he had triumphed over his hunter once again… for the moment, at least…

* * *

Ichigo was sitting in class, listening to his Kidō tutor, as the elderly man with grayish mustache explained the physics behind yet another spell. This time, it was a higher level spell, namely Ōkasen – the thirty-second level Hadō spell. Being one of the more complex spells, the tutor was waving both his arms and legs, along with an occasional swing of the broomstick that he used as a substitute for a zanpakutou, since he forgot to bring his own.

Truth be told, Ichigo was bored. He already wrote down the incantation somewhere in his notes.

'_Only God knows where…'_

Looking at the notes, and then glancing over to the notes of another student next to him, Ichigo cringed, embarrassed by the poor quality and overall chaoticness of his own.

The owner of the notes that he looked at, a short blond girl noticed him.

"Is there anything you need?" She asked, whispering.

Ichigo looked at her, realizing that he had been starring in her direction for over a minute, aimlessly.

"No, sorry. It's just boring."

The girl cracked an amused smile. As Ichigo looked at her better, he noticed that she seemed to be barely twelve years old, but pushed the thought aside – in Soul Society, if curious, it's always better to ask than to guess when it came to the age of people. Her hair was cut short, and she had blue eyes.

Her zanpakutou, which resembled a sheathed wakizashi, was in front of her, on the desk.

"Hey, are you Kurosaki Ichigo?" She asked him.

"Yes."

"You're the idiot that caused all the fuss a year ago, aren't you?"

Ichigo stared at her stupidly. It was not something he had expected.

"I'm talking of when you invaded Soul Society, dumbass! I had to stay indoors for a whole week, because the streets of Seireitei were too dangerous!" The girl replied furiously, barely managing to keep her tone down enough not to anger their teacher.

"Hey! I did end up saving everyone, didn't I?"

"Perhaps… but how many shinigami had to die before you stopped Aizen?"

Ichigo slammed his hand against the table startling the girl. His face turned dark, as fury overtook him. Over to the entrance, their tutor dropped his broomstick-sword, also startled by the loud sound.

"Kurosaki-san!" The tutor called, while trying to pick up the broom in an I-meant-to-do-that fashion. "Please refrain from such outbursts or I will have you sent to the principal!" With those words, he returned to explaining the proper way to hold your zanpakutou while firing the Ōkasen.

When Ichigo looked back at the girl, she was staring down at the ground, ashamed.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She tried to apologize. Ichigo smiled at her, even though most of the smile was forced.

"Hey, the theory class will be over in a few minutes. We have practice class next. Would you want to be my training partner?" She asked him, as if she was trying to make amends. He raised his eyebrow at her, but nodded in confirmation. "Thanks. It's not often there's someone with real combat experience here."

* * *

_(Fifteen minutes later)_

"Looks like you're the one who needs help here, Kurosaki!" The blond girl said. Shi-ko Cagalli, as she introduced herself after the last class, laughed at Ichigo, as another colossal Ōkasen colossally exploded in his face. Sitting down to rest, she pulled out a drink from her bag.

"Shut up brat! I'll get it right this time." He raised his oversized katana, holding it in front of himself, horizontally to the ground. _'If only I bothered to remember the chant, I wouldn't be in this mess right now…'_ he thought to himself. It wasn't that he'd forgiven her for earlier, but the girl did know a thing or two about kidō, and was willing to offer some help - along with sarcastic remarks, but that was beside the point - and he needed all the help he could get.

Taking a deep breath, he then exhaled, slowly, as he focused on his spell. Just like before, he felt the warmth of the surge of power in his remaining hand.

'_Okay… I got to do this…' _He closed his eyes, concentrating. _'Imagine a circle in my mind… as dark as I can, heavy…'_ He took another deep breath. _'Throw myself into it…'_

A yellow orb appeared at the centre of the blade.

"Come on, hero! You can do it!" Cagalli mocked, clapping her hands. In theory, she knew, Ichigo should be able to do this, ever since she had shown him how NOT to lump all the power in his fist before the casting of kidō and instead to let it flow.

"Shut up!"

The girl chuckled at the so called 'hero', as he continued to channel his power. But as he continued to do so, however…

_'Maybe he didn't get it down as well as I thought he did...'_

The sphere suddenly bulged to five times its original size.

"Stop it, Kurosaki!" She yelled out a warning, but it was too late. The kidō spell exploded in a tremendous ball of fire, blasting her some good five meters away from Ichigo.

Cagalli got shakily back on her feet.

"Ichigo!" She called out. To her surprise, she found him sitting in the center of a three meters wide crater. His zanpakutou was ripped from his hand and was now at the edge of the crater, with its tip buried deep into the dirt.

She ran up to him.

"What the hell did you do, Kurosaki?" She asked him. Seeing that he was just starring off into space, she kicked him as hard as she could.

"Ouch! Shit! What the hell! Why are you kicking me?"

"What. Did. You. Do?" She repeated her question hissing out each word in anger.

"I… I just did the trick Ganju showed me once, that's all… I can't get the stupid kidō to work otherwise!"

'_A trick?'_ She thought as she gave him a suspicious look. Underneath her dark scowl, her eyes darted at him with fury. "What did you do? Tell me!"

"Well, fist he told me draw up a black circle in my mind," he muttered out, completely confused. To this, she nodded confirmingly, while crossing her arms – he just roughly described the basic mindset required for all kidō. "Then, he said to make it as heavy and as dark as I possibly can. Once I do that," he continued slightly more confident, now that he could see her nod, "when I do it, I imagine throwing myself into its cent-OUCH!" he yelled out when she slapped him on the back of the head.

"You idiot! What is your reiatsu level now?"

""Ninth seat. Why did you have to hit me again!" They were now frowning and glaring at each other – Ichigo out of confusion and habit, and Cagalli out of sheer stupidity of Ichigo's actions.

"You don't just throw your whole 'self' into your kidō – if you do that you're basically surrendering all of your power into that one spell! It's lunacy! It's something only the weakest of the weak shinigami can do, since they got no other choice!"

Ichigo glared at her, intensely, before grabbing the zanpakutou that she carried, and then shoving it in her hands.

"You do it then!" He said, as dark thoughts filled his mind.

* * *

_(Some where in Hueco Mundo, around evening by Real World standards)_

Kurotsuchi Mayuri slowly moved forward, through the dark tunes of a cavern system roughly fifty miles to the southeast of Las Noches. Careful not to break contact with the cavern wall, he moved in deeper, hidden with his chameleon camouflage. His escort, consisting of over twenty shinigami, assigned to be his bodyguards by Kuchiki Byakuya, remained outside, hidden form view.

Soon, he entered a large chamber, and to his pleasure, he realized that his hunch was correct, for the cave was what he had suspected to be a meeting place for arrancars. From his position at the end of the hallway, he saw that the stairs leading down to a large room, in which's center was a stone table with five chairs surrounding it.

Four were occupied.

To Mayuri's ever greater amusement, he noticed that, of the four beings that were sitting at the table, only one was arrancar. What the other three were, he couldn't tell for sure, but before he were to get closer, he decided to wait and eavesdrop on them.

…

"I still say you messed up big time, Muramasa!" The arrancar said, clearly angry for some reason. Mayuri raised his eyebrow at hearing the rogue zanpakutou's name – he was sure that the zanpakutou perished at the hands of Kurosaki Ichigo.

"Don't call me by that name. Hueco Mundo is still full of enemies that would like nothing more than to reveal our identities to the Soul Society." Muramasa said calmly. "You are very well aware that Kuchiki Byakuya is hunting for you even as we speak, _Ao_."

"Don't you fucking call me by the kiddy code name, Muramasa. I have very little patience today."

"If you have a problem…" The woman in white spoke up. "Speak to Aka-sama. I'm sure he will be most understanding of your breaking of protocol." The arrancar king grumbled, but said nothing. As Mayuri examined the woman's appearance, he couldn't shake the feeling that she seemed awfully familiar to him.

'_Now, where have I've seen you before?'_ He wondered. She seemed to wear a white Shihakushō, of which the ends were torn right above her bare feet. A long white glove covered her entire left arm, joining up with the Shihakushō two inches below the shoulder. She was of short stature, with neck-long black hair framing her face. Since she was looking away, Mayuri couldn't see her face. The woman seemed to be unarmed.

Giving up, Mayuri returned his attention on the arrancar. He was still angrily commenting on something the rogue zanpakutou had done, but this time, he stuck to the codenames assigned to them.

"I still say you put too little power in him, damn it!" the king of hollows exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table.

"And that's why you are not our leader, arrancar." Said the man garbed in black. His entire outfit was black, apart from the large blue cross that was on his back. Leaning on the chair he sat on was a huge black bow.

"What did you say, meat? Cattle should remain quiet in the presence of the wolf."

It happened in a split of a second – one moment, everyone was sitting calmly, the other there was a large hole in the wall behind the spot that the arrancar's head occupied. The King of Hollows was already in front of the man in black, his drawn zanpakutou inches from the man's throat.

They both stood still – not because they didn't want to fight, but because their two companions hard restrained them. Muramasa locked his blade with Ao's, and the woman was gripping the black bow with her gloved left hand.

"Out of my way, puppet!" the man hissed at her. She reached up with her right hand grabbing the joint that connected the glove to the Shihakushō.

"Stand down." She ordered.

'_This is getting interesting…'_ Mayuri thought to himself, as he inwardly chuckled, amused by the camaraderie of the group. _'So that's the terrifying Ao… I fail to see why everyone in Las Noches is worried about him showing up.'_ He examined the arrancar's appearance, memorizing it. He was tall, taller than Mayuri, and wore a standard white arrancar uniform, but had his belt underneath his sash. He had long turquoise hair, yellow eyes, and the remains of his Hollow mask on his right cheek. The mask fragment appeared to be the upper jaw, but it was extended around the back of his head and had a sort of crest. His exposed Hollow hole is located below the base of his neck.

That was when he felt a presence enter the room. Instantly, Mayuri realized that he was looking directly in the man's eyes.

The change of the room's atmosphere was immediately felt. Each of the four took a step back, then returned to their seats.

The man was still looking in Mayuri's direction, and the taichō was getting nervous – could this man really see him? Kurotsuchi gulped.

'_A shinigami. He's a shinigami. But something's off... Interesting.'_ The taichō thought to himself.

"Now, would anyone like to explain to me what's all the commotion about?" the man said. His entire figure was hidden underneath a dark red cloak, the color of which seemed to resemble dried-up blood. His face was concealed by a long hood that cast its shadow over it. But his voice was authoritative, like he was used to giving out orders.

Muramasa was the first to speak.

"We were discussing whether our current course of action was appropriate, regarding Kurosaki Ichigo."

The man sighed and leaned on the wall behind him.

"We were over this before we even stated the plan." As his eyes meet Muramasa's, the rogue zanpakutou unwillingly took a step back. The man continued with his explanation. "Should we have injected him with any more of our power, it would have become detectable. Do not doubt that just because you don't see them, the spies and servants of the Royal Guard are not there. Their Sōtaichō would have no mercy on him, should he conclude that it was us that helped him." He shot a glance at Ao, who, not being able to look him in the eyes, looked away. "Need I remind you that we cannot win this war without the boy being at his full power? Should we lose Kurosaki Ichigo, this war would soon become a fool's battle, since we would have no chance of victory."

"I still say that we could take on the Royal Guard head on. No shinigami could enter the Royal realm, but your kind could open a path, right?" Ao said. The man smiled, mildly amused.

"And what would you suggest?"

"I say open a path! We'll cut through them like a blade through air! Enough with this bullshit hiding tactics, senseless preparations and underhanded manipulation! The legend of the Grimm Reaper, its origin lies with you. You can take on their Sōtaichō, whether he's a Soul-prince or not!"

The man's smile grew slightly wider, but was soon twisted into a mocking grin.

"Is that so? Remember that he is not alone. The Zero squad is a force to be reckoned with. Even I couldn't fight their combined force alone."

"But you're not alone, damn it! You got the King of Hollows as an ally!" Ao spoke furiously. "Surely that counts for something? Let me raise an army! I'll send them to search the entire Hueco Mundo, gather every single Vasto Lorde that breathes and make them arrancar!" He was standing now, his teeth exposed, fangs barred. "Let me raise you an army this world has never witnessed!"

Finally, the man dropped his grin and sighed.

"And let's say we succeed. What then? Do you think the Soul King would just idly sit by and watch us murder his son and butcher the best of his forces?"

"Then we cut him down as well!"

The man seemed saddened.

"No."

Ao stared at him wide-eyed.

"Why not?"

"Do not mistake the Soul King's inactivity with weakness. He is a being that exceeds… our notion of the world. Just because he spends his days living in a small palace, content with weeding a small garden while wearing a small green apron, rubber boots, and a straw hat does not mean that he is weak."

Now everyone in the room was listening carefully – Mayuri included. He always wondered what kind of a person the Soul King was. So far, he wasn't quite what he expected.

The hooded man continued his explanation.

"Back in the old era, before he founded Soul Society, he used to lead armies of men, beast and spirit. A person could have watched the armies march by for days before seeing an end to them. You have no idea just how immense his powers are. That bastard is just too powerful to be fought – _that _is why we are using underhanded tactics and deception, so that once the true battle starts, we can be sure that he _will _stay out of it." Despite him just calling the Soul King a bastard, everyone in the room noticed hints of concealed respect in the man's voice.

Ao sat back down, staring at the table.

Mayuri carefully retraced his steps back outside, no longer wanting to remain anywhere close to the man that even the King of Hollows had to bow down. As he stepped out of the cavern system, he realized that the sand was colored red. To the side he saw the mutilated bodies of his escort.

Alarmed, he reached for his zanpakutou and, at the same time, dropped hi reiatsu level as low as he could – even lower that when he was back inside.

"You didn't really think that that would work, did you?" He heard the chilling voice of the black-garbed archer – the one with a cross on his back.

Mayuri spun around, simultaneously pulling out his zanpakutou.

"Rip, Ashiso-"

Like a bolt of black lightning, an arrow of energy struck him in the forehead. Kurotsuchi Mayuri slumped to the ground.

Muramasa walked out of the opening that lead into the caves.

"Did you have to kill him?" He crouched down next to the still twitching body of the taichō. "Now we can't even examine his memories, since his head was blown off." He looked at his partner, who didn't even try to look apologetic.

The archer turned away.

"I was a Quincy, once…"

Muramasa stood back up.

"You heard about his experiments on them, haven't you? I didn't think you cared about your old race. Wasn't it you who lead them to their slaughter two hundred years ago, Ishida Raiden?" The man instantly spun around to face the rogue zanpakutou.

"I thought you were the one said not to use our old names, Muramasa?"

"That was because of this guy." He pointed at Mayuri's corpse. "It would have been a real problem, should there have not been traps set to trigger when someone with reiatsu passed through the cave's entrance."

"I cast away my humanity a long time ago, just so that I could fight the shinigami on even terms. But my own people resented me for it. They couldn't be reasoned with – but they still wanted my power!" He crossed his arms and turned to walk back inside.

"They got what they deserved…" Muramasa heard him whisper.

* * *

Somewhere deep in the underground levels of the SDRI (Shinigami Research and Development Institute), Kurotsuchi Nemu awoke with an awkward feeling in her stomach. She quickly got up, feeling unease. As she climbed down the stairs that lead to the level below her, she heard a continuous beep coming from the room that was off-limits to anyone but her and her father. She could feel the knot in her stomach tighten, as she typed in the password.

The door hissed open.

She froze.

On the bed-like table, she saw her father's body. His true body. He wasn't breathing.

Her fingers quickly moved across the gray panel, pressing the buttons that started the emergency programs.

Electric currents surged through Mayuri's heart. His whole body shook.

She looked at the display measuring the heart rate.

Nothing.

She started the program again.

'_No, no, no, no… NO!'_

Nothing was happening.

Tears began to leave their marks on her cheeks, as she moved closer and hugged her father's motionless body – in a way she never could before.

Kurotsuchi Mayuri, the taichō of the Twelfth Division of Gotei 13 of Soul Society - was dead.

Kurotsuchi Nemu cried into the night.

* * *

_(Meanwhile, in the Fourth's garden)_

Ichigo was resting after a long day of training, exhausted in body, mind and spirit. He was sitting on the soft green grass, with his back leaning against a tall oak. He was gazing at the stars above Soul Society, amused with the fact that he could recognize none of the constellations.

"I thought I might find you here."

He looked over his shoulder to the left. Near the entrance of the garden, Hinamori Momo was standing, smiling at him.

He returned the smile.

"Oh, did you?"

"Of course!" She replied readily. "I'm psychic!"

Ichigo's eyebrows rose, and the smile on his face grew larger.

"Really?"

Hinamori walked closer giggling.

"No, not really. Unohana-taichō told me you come here almost every night."

"Well, it's kinda quiet here. A good place to rest." He looked at her with a grin. "Maybe you should put a garden like this in your division?"

She sat down to his left, then jokingly punched him in the shoulder.

"That's your job, taichō!"

He looked at her, pleasantly surprised and equally annoyed at the same time.

"You still haven't given up?"

She leaned back on the same tree he was leaning on.

"You're not that lucky." She sighed. "I want to make my division strong, but I myself am not strong at all… I want to erase the stain on our name that Aizen left behind…That's why I need you, Kurosaki-kun. I can't do it alone."

Ichigo placed his hand onto hers.

Their eyes meet.

Ichigo was the first to look away. He started to chuckle.

"That's why I agreed to give it a try… But the way things are going right now…" he added jokingly, "…there's no way I'll even get past the kidō exams, let alone become a taichō any time soon."

She stood up abruptly, pulling his hand.

"C'mon, I think I can help you there, Kurosaki~kun!"

Without saying a word, she stated to pull him up. He got up and followed her out of the garden, not even sure where she was taking him. He soon got his answer, as some ten minutes later, the large gates of the Fifth Division came into view.

* * *

_(Fifteen minutes later…)_

Ichigo assumed the stance required for the casting of the Hadō number thirty one, the Shakkahō. Hinamori walked up behind him.

"That's good, but please bend your knees a bit more Kurosaki-kun." He did as he was told. She grabbed his arm and gently pulled it. Ichigo stretched his arm completely.

She could feel the tension in his body.

"Hadō no san-jū ichi, Shakkahō!"

Nothing happened.

"Please try to relax, Kurosaki-kun. The more stressed out you are, the harder it gets to use kidō successfully." _'At least it didn't explode this time_…_' _She thought to herself. "Please sit down."

He felt her soft hands on his shoulders, as she began massaging his back. He dropped out of his stance and sat down, as he felt the accumulated stress melt away.

"I don't understand why are you so worried all the time, Kurosaki-kun. The war is over. We now hold both the Soul Society and most of the Hueco Mundo. The way things are… We're looking at is at least a century of peace, maybe even longer."

Ichigo said nothing, but was glad that she couldn't look him in the eyes at that moment.

'_That's because you don't know what I know, Hinamori… This peace won't last for any more than four years, if we're lucky__…__'_ Still, felling her soft, reassuring touch on his shoulders, he stated to relax, as his breathing steadied.

"Ready?" Hinamori asked him, after some time.

He stood back up and resumed his earlier stance. He bent his knees slightly, and completely stretched out his arm. His open palm was pointing outwards.

"Do it!"

Ichigo nodded.

"Hadō no san-jū ichi, Shakkahō!"

…

This time, the spell didn't fail.

* * *

End of chapter three

A/N: (It'll be a super long one - I won't hold it against you if you skip it) First of all, I'm terribly sorry that it took this long for this chapter to get released (October was a very, very long time ago). As I already said in the introductory notes, this is the second version of the original third chapter, since the old one was murdered by my computer. But even so, the truth is that I had very little inspiration for this story, while my other Bleach story ("Choose your fate") was brimming with inspiration (the reason for this is that I tend to write myself in a corner when I end a chapter with a depressing scene and can't think of a way to start the next one). What eventually got me back to writing "Innocence is a Virtue" again was that I had published the first chapter of the story called "Scathing Moon Rising" which focuses on my theory on Kurosaki Isshin's past. Since it involved Royal Guard, I decided to make it into a sort of 'Origin story' that links into this one.

No need to worry however, the two stories are and will remain separated, so that reading one doesn't require reading the other (though it would be nice – I'd get more reviews that way ^_^ Oh, and you would get to know more about the whole extended universe too - everybody wins~! ^_^).

Now that that explanation is done, let me give some explanations regarding _this _chapter (If you're not interested, skip it – it'll be long).

First of all, the chapter's name. It's named this way because everything that is happening in it (remember that I had to split this chapter in to, so that includes the next one too!) is taking place in the four worlds – Soul Society, the Real World, Hueco Mundo and finally Ichigo's inner world.

OC's – Okay, I recently got an advice not to introduce more than three OC's per chapter. As you can see, I didn't make it this time, so sorry if some of you got a bit confused along the way. I tried to keep things as clear as I possibly could, without revealing to much about them – remember, they're still a mystery.

Ishida Raiden – OC – was once a Quincy and a human. Since he cast away his humanity, his Quincy powers changed as well – to what extent, you'll have to read to find out. What little of his past I have revealed to you so far: He was alive during the shinigami/quincy war that ended 200 year ago with the extermination of most of the Quincy. Since that day, his arrows had turned black.

Ao – NOT an OC! – King of Hollows. Read to find out his real identity.

The mysterious figure inside Ichigo's inner world – NOT an OC! – I'll keep him a mystery for a while longer. Read to find out his real identity.

Shi-ko Cagalli – OC – she's one of the students at **Shinōreijutsuin **(that's the proper name of the shinigami academy - betchya didn't know that). Being a talented student she managed to advance all the way up to the final year in under half the time it normally took.

So much for OC's. Now, for those kiddy codenames (Aka (the leader) - red, Ao (Hollow King) - blue, Gure (Muramasa) - gray, Kuro (Raiden) - black, Shiro (the woman) - white. The reason I hope was plainly obvious – I thought it was quite logical to use lame codes to keep of the radar - if the leader for example called himself _The-Dark-lord-that-will-rule-the-universe-and-smite-everyone-that-stand-in-his-way-while-whistling-the-national-anthem-of-Japan_ – people would notice. Logical? Yes. Doesn't mean his subordinate's have to like it, though.

Hope you liked the interaction between Ichigo and Momo. (I noticed that I have become **_VERY_** overprotective of this pairing – anyone who dares to badmouth it will get a face full of bricks! I got no clue as to why. lol)

WOW! That's one helluva author note! (Told you it'd be long)

* * *

_Well then… Hope you had as much fun reading as I had writing. Since I'm sure I left out some stuff in my A/N, so if you have questions, feel free to ask them._

_See ya next time! Hope it won't take long! And don't forget to review! (No seriously, don't.)_

_~KuroiTori-sama_


	4. Chapter 4: The four worlds, part two

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

Rating T (I guess)

Mini author note:

"Hollow" – normal talking in the outside world and shinigami talking inside inner world

'_Hollow'_ – thinking

**'**_**Hollow'**_– Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking to shinigami while shinigami is in the outside world. Inner hollow/zanpakutou thinking in the inner world.

**"Hollow"** –Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking inside the inner world.

… – Short pauses that couldn't be described otherwise. (Only when used in an empty line)

A/N: A huge thanks to SparklyColours, KawaiiBerry-chan, TheEspadaSisters, anonymous, toshiro ricky and Hitmanforyou for reviewing. You have no idea how much reviews mean to me. ^_^

PS: Sorry for such a late update. Small spoilers if you haven't read the manga after ch 423 (the lost shinigami representative badge arc)

O-O-O

Chapter four: The four worlds, part two

O-O-O

(A week later)

Ichigo hit the ground, hard. Beneath the setting sun, he coughed blood, and then got back on his feet, only to be knocked back down to the ground by a skull-splitting blow from his opponent. The person in question simply shook her head, and grabbed Ichigo by the back of his Shihakushō, flipping him on his back. Ichigo yelped, then somehow jumped back on his feet. Hinamori shook her head.

"Are you sure about this Kurosaki-kun? You still aren't ready to fight a fukutaichō."

He stood up and grasped his sealed zanpakutou tighter and charged at her. Momo dodged to the side with ease and hit him with the broad side of her sealed katana across the back, sending him to the ground.

"What do you hope to gain from punishing your body like this, Kurosaki-kun? You're not-"

"Shut up and fight Hinamori!"

He brushed the small tinkle of blood from the corner of his lip. With a furious yell, he charged forward, bringing down his oversized katana in a downward arc. Hinamori sighed and sidestepped, allowing the momentum of the large sword to carry it forward and, once it hit the ground, embed its tip deep into the dirt.

Instead of taking advantage of the situation and attack, Hinamori took a step back and lowered her sword. It was all fine, until Ichigo noticed this.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Hinamori?" he yelled angrily. "I need to get stronger!"

"But-?"

"If I don't push myself beyond my limits, I'll never get there!" She took another step back and resheathed her blade.

"I'm sorry, Kurosaki-kun," She said with a sad look in her eyes. Seeing her sad like that made Ichigo wince. But he wouldn't back down.

"Hinamori-!"

"I WON'T KILL YOU!"

Ichigo almost dropped his sword at her response. She had that same sad look in her eyes as she did when he first met her, and he could see the few tears in the corners of her eyes. Taking in a deep breath, he let go of his zanpakutou, allowing it to fall to the ground. He walked up to her, slightly ashamed of his outburst earlier.

"I need to get stronger." He said, almost in a whisper.

"I know." She replied looking at the ground. As he turned his back and started walking to pick up his zanpakutou, he felt Hinamori's hand in his own.

"We're friends now, right Kurosaki-kun?" She asked directly, making Ichigo give her a puzzling look.

"What? Where did that come from?"

"N-N-Nothing! N-Not-thing!" She immediately started to mutter and wave her hands defensively.

She looked to the side, like she was somewhat uncomfortable. Seeing her face redden, he frowned.

"Hey, are you okay? You look like you got a fever or something!"

"Wha-? No I… I'm fine! I'm fine!"

"You don't look fine…"

"I'M FINE!"

A few minutes passed in silence…

"I know you have to get stronger, Kurosaki-kun… Just promise me something, okay?"

He looked at her through half-closed eyelids, beneath the perpetual frown.

"Uh, okay. Name it."

"Don't die trying, please…"

He smiled softly, and reached down to his zanpakutou, which still lay in dirt, picking it up.

"Like hell I'd do something that stupid, stupid."

She smiled happily at him, ignoring the jerkish coment.

"Kidō?"

Ichigo put his zanpakutou in its giant sheath on his back.

"Kidō it is." He said, smiling.

O-O-O

(In the evening)

He didn't know for how long he had trained with her. Five hours? It seemed as if most of the night had passed, and now the pale outlines of the rising sun became visible far to the east on the still black sky. He was back at his favorite spot in the whole of Seireitei, the Fourth Division's garden, and was resting against the large tree. That was his spot.

Only this time, he wasn't alone. Hinamori Momo was next to him, leaning on the same tree, slightly to the left of him, and now, after a grueling workout, she too was exhausted and in needed rest.

"Kurosaki-kun?" She asked.

"Yea?" Ichigo answered without looking at her.

"Can't we use shinai the next time we train like this? Wooden swords would be much safer."

"No." Ichigo flatly refused. "The shinai can help people who use katana-like zanpakutou. It can't account for the weight of Zangetsu, both in his sealed and released form."

"O-Okay…" She answered, somewhat unsure as to what to say next. For the next few minutes, they simply sat there, looking at the sky, but then, finally, Hinamori gave into curiosity.

"When will you go to meet your family, Kurosaki-kun?" She asked, catching Ichigo completely off guard.

"I… Umm… I don't…" He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. "I honestly don't know, but as long as I'm still recovering, I'm banned from even approaching a senkaimon – don't even bother asking why. They say that Hollows will come swooping down on Karakura the moment I step out into the living world."

Hinamori raised her eyebrows, obviously not convinced at the validity of such a statement, but otherwise said nothing. The look in her eyes didn't escape Ichigo. He nodded agreeingly and continued.

"Apparently, according to some eggheads in the Twelfth Division, ~SWOOPING~…" he actually raised his hand in a threatening manner and jerked his torso forward in a parody of grappling, making Hinamiri giggle,"…is bad!"

ichigo sighed.

"Morons, every last one of them."

He was startled when he felt her hand on top of his own.

"It'll work out alright in the end, Kurosaki-kun."

"Thanks."

O-O-O

Kuchiki Byakuya sat in his office in Las Noches, sorting through his paperwork, when he heard the door open. Feeling an unfamiliar reiatsu, he immediately grabbed the hilt his zanpakutou, ready to draw. The figure standing in the doorframe scoffed and raised his hands above his head.

"Satisfied?" The strange man asked in a dull voice. "Figured you'd be jumpy with all the shit going down in Hueco Mundo this week, ever since Kurotsuchi's death. How many outposts have you lost already? Four?"

Byakuya frowned, not easing the grip on his sword.

"Five. Who are you?"

In response, the man took a step forward revealing the brightly polished shoulder protector on his left shoulder, with a symbol carved in it, stating '19'. Finally, Byakuya knew what he was facing. He had seen such a shoulder protector, felt that faint imprint of pure unearthly reiatsu that silently emanated from it. A warrior of the Soul King – A member of the Royal Guard.

"No haori? So you are not one of the Zeroes, are you? What's your name?"

The man walked up and sat in a chair that was placed in front of Byakuya's desk. As he leaned forward, he placed his elbows on the table, pressing his clenched fists with fingers woven together against his lips. In that moment of silence, the field marshal of Soul Society's forces in Hueco Mundo took the chance to memorize the Guardsmen's appearance. The man was of Asian origin, most likely Chinese. Short of stature. Appeared to be roughly thirty years old. His had gray, uninteresting eyes. A bowl-cut black hair. Blank gaze.

There was no doubt about it. This man he was-.

"Nii-sama!" Rukia yelled as she rushed into his office, sword drawn. "There's an intrud-!" She stopped midsentence and stared in shock at the man who sat in the chair, looking back at her puzzlingly, with eyebrows raised in a silent question, like he was asking her: '…the hell?' Her hand was already on the hilt of her sword, and she was ready to draw.

"Nii-sama – I mean – Kuchiki-taicho, this man had attacked the troops that were stationed from here all the way to the main gates of Las Noches!"

"Leave us, Rukia."

"But…!"

"Send the wounded to the medical office and double the strength of the gate defenses." His voice was cold and firm, the type that meant that there could be no arguing. She bowed and left the office. Byakuya turned his attention back to the man that sat before him.

'_A completely inconspicuous man, someone I could have walked past and not even consider him a seated rank shinigami – a dangerous man indeed.'_

"A castle-born, am I right?" Byakuya asked him. "What's your name?"

Again, he was met with nothing but silence, at first. But then the men spoke softly.

"I was born fifty years ago in the Royal Palace, if that's what you are referring to. Do not take me lightly, just because I'm not a member of the Zero Squad. Now, for your last question – my name. Outside of the Palace, I travel under a false identity or none at all," the man said, shrugging. "And I have no reason to lie to you, Kuchiki Byakuya-sama , Taichō of the Sixth."

It was in that moment, that Byakuya had to draw upon all the patience and strength just to stop himself from cutting the man's head off. Indeed, his hunch was true – this boring-looking man was an assassin, an elite, probably on the level of the best assassins the Onmitsukidō, maybe even to the point of fukutaichō-level capabilities.

Going against every instinct in his body, Byakuya finally put away his zanpakutou.

"Were you sent to help, or to interfere?" He sighed and shut his eyes, not able to push back the sinking feeling in his stomach. Throughout his entire life, the Royal Guard conducted only twice in a major operation outside of the Royal Palace, and both occasions were mission that nearly ended in total annihilation of Japan, along with the coastal areas of both the North and South Korea, China and Hawaii. He swallowed hard. Whatever comes his way, he would handle it in a way appropriate for the head of the Kuchiki clan and a captain of the Gotei 13.

The smile on the man's face made it clear for Byakuya. Without a doubt, the near future would get uncomfortable.

"Can I call you 19-san?"

O-O-O

Lightning tore across the eternally moonless sky. A shady figure of a man walked through the rubble of the ruined world below. He knew who he was. He knew what he was.

Born from ignorance.

In the time it took to swing a sword.

An imprint.

Just a memory.

He clenched his fists in fury. He bore the same face, spoke the same voice, even thought the same thoughts…

Through the eyes of his enemy, he saw his own death.

"Aizen. _Aizen Sōsuke._" He spoke the name that haunted his deepest thoughts. The name of the man who he was and yet was not. Oh, how he hated the face that looked back at him every time he would close his eyes.

Born from ignorance.

In rage, he kicked the large boulder that was in his way, disintegrating it on impact.

"Damn them." He muttered darkly, not even sure who he was referring to – Ichigo or Aizen.

In the distance, he saw something glimmer. It was faint, like a streak of red and black on an already black sky, running up into the infinite dome that encompassed the ruined world. Curious, he went in its direction, all the while trying to guess what it was. As he got closer and closer, he could see the outlines of two persons standing close to one another. In one of them, he recognized the man in white, the Hollow that so many times tried to kill him. Were he to see him here, he would undoubtedly try again.

Using his cloak, Aizen hid in the shadows, biding his time to get a better look at the man that stood next to the hollow, and also the strange phenomenon that was that light, if it could even be called that.

The man appeared to be in his mid forties. He had a short unruly beard, and ragged black hair. His ragged-ended black cloak fluttered in the faint breeze. From where Aizen was watching, it seemed that he had something on his face, probably glasses. His hands were stretched out, both palms immersed into the pillar of red-outlined blackness.

'_I have to get closer.'_ He thought to himself, putting up his hood.

As his body sank into the surface of the ground, he slowly crept forward.

He could hear them talking.

"**How much longer, Zangetsu-san? I can't keep this up forever." **The hollow said with a tired voice. He was standing opposite to Zangetsu, on the other side of the pillar, holding his sealed zanpakutou within it. Its tip was pointing down at the ground, and the blade passed between Zangetsu's open palms.

"**I said… How much longer, Zangetsu-san?"** The hollow repeated his question, irritated with the silent treatment the zanpakutou was giving him.

The zanpakutou's gaze rose up to meet the hollow's yellow eyes. He too was exhausted.

"**Just a little longer. Be patient."**

"**My butt's falling asleep here."**

"**Be patient." **Zangetsu repeated, slightly annoyed.

"**Zangetsu… I can't feel my hands…"**

A faint smirk began spreading on the Hollow's face, as he heard a snarl slip off Zangetsu's lips. Finally, the zanpakutou took a step back, as the pillar of blackness dissipated into nothing. The Hollow readily raised the blade into the sky, and swung savagely through the air, only to stop and stare at the sword with a look filled with nostalgia. He then turned to Zangetsu and surrendered the blade.

"**Do what you must, Zangetsu-san."**

The moment the spirit's fingers took hold of the sword, it disappeared.

"**It's done."** He walked closer to the Hollow, placing his hand on the Hollow's shoulder. **"I am sorry for this, I know how much this takes out of you."**

The Hollow smirked and brushed of the zanpakutou's hand. **"It's worth it."** He replied shortly. **"Let's let outta here…" **his voice suddenly turned to whisper. "**It seems we have attracted an audience." **

Zangetsu nodded, disappearing into a cloud of black mist, returning into the Hollow's body, restoring at least some of the Hollow's strength along the way. In a meek attempt of what was supposed to be sonido, the Hollow moved away from there before falling on his face, thoroughly exhausted.

Aizen crept forward, slowly. His foe was in no condition to put up a fight.

Still, when the Hollow turned to face him, the yellow eyes held no trace of fear.

"Odd…" Aizen spoke out. "I believed you had more self-preservation in you."

The Hollow smirked fiendishly as he got back on his feet.

"**I can still kick your ass up and down any skyscraper in this city."** He bent his knees, ready for an attack that would undoubtedly come. **"Make your pick."**

Aizen returned the smile.

His fists clenched.

His heart was racing.

He knew his opponent felt the same.

His name was Aizen Sōsuke_. He was not Aizen Sōsuke._

_'I am myself.'_

As he lunged at the weakened Hollow, Ichigo's bleached version somehow managed to duck on time and hit him with an uppercut, making Aizen reel back stumbling. The black gabbed man fell to his knee. In anger, he punched the ground before jumping back up. It then became clear that the whole falling on his face was an act the Hollow put on to lure him in closer.

_'Stay focused! I can beat him!'_ He lunged forward, only to make a faint at the last moment, confusing the Hollow for a split second. In an animalistic roar, he grabbed the Hollow by the head and slammed his knee into his enemy's stomach. _'I have the upper hand in power! And most importantly, I have the advantage in experience!' _He pulled slightly back, only to deliver a terrifying blow to the Hollow's face with his elbow.

The Hollow fell to the ground, unable to get back on his feet. His vision was blurred, he was short of breath and had to give it his all just to remain conscious, as his eyes began to close.

_'__**It wasn't supposed to turn out like this… I shouldn't have allowed to be cornered like this…' **_Despite the immense pain, he forced himself to take a deep breath, to calm himself even if it was only slightly. _**'I didn't want to do this to you… in your condition… Ichigo.'**_

Without a warning, the Hollow's hand disappeared beneath the ground.

Aizen saw none of it. Ready to finish him off, he charged at the downed Hollow. Therefore, there was no way for him to foresee, no way to even consider the possibility. All he could do, the _only_ thing he could do, was to stumble forward, falling over his foe, as the large blade of Zangetsu's sealed form stuck out through his back. In his eyes, there was only surprise.

"I see…" he managed to mutter out through the pain. "That's what you meant by saying the sword was where it was needed the most… Kurosaki Ichigo, he never regained his powers to begin with… am I right? That phenomena back in the hospital… when we awoke... it restored your powers by mistake, did it not?"

The grin on the Hollow's face was answer enough.

"Such madness… Allowing him to slowly devour you, to feed his fledgling sparkles of power… Even the sword he was carrying – the sword in my chest – it is your own zanpakutou, am I right?"

This time, the Hollow's grin recited.

At the same time, Aizen began feeling something, deep within his gut.

"Re-son-at-ing…?"

Images flooded his mind, drowning him, utterly overwhelming him, crushing all that stood in their way, as the story began to unfold.

_O-O-O_

(The next day, on the other side of death, noon)

Under the bright midday sun, Yasutora Sado was sitting beneath the thick branches of a tree in Karakura City Park, playing his guitar. Amusingly, people would often stop by to listen, and on several occasions even praise his music.

"Yasutora-san?"

He looked up to see a woman standing in front of him. She wore a dark long-sleeved shirt with tight fitted trousers.

"Tristan-san?"

She nodded in conformation. The truth was that she only met the giant barely a week ago, she and her 'friends'. It took a bit of effort and a lot of patience, but eventually they managed to confirm the nature of Yasutora's powers. Surprisingly, once they managed to win over his trust, he turned out to be quite a treasure trove. Not only were his powers so offensively oriented, but he was able to give them the information they craved the most – the definite proof of the existence of a shinigami substitute.

"Will you be coming over to the bar today?" She asked him.

"Yes. Tell Yukio to be ready."

"Training? With Yukio? And he agreed?" She asked in disbelief. Chad nodded.

"Aaah… whatever. At what time are you coming?"

"Seven."

"Seven it is." She turned to leave.

"You came only to ask me that?"

She looked over her shoulder, smirking.

"What makes you think I came to ask you anything? I was just walking in the park when I saw you sitting there like-"

Chad raised an eyebrow. She smirked again, mockingly, as she walked away.

"Here's a tip Mr. Guitar Hero – learn to play some riffs!" She waved, not bothering to look back.

The corners of Chad's lips slowly moved upwards, revealing the barest hints of a smirk. A minute later, a small crowd was gathered listening to him as he hit off a guitar frenzy. As he finished, the crowd applauded.

O-O-O

_(At the park exit)_

"How's he doing?" said the man. He looked like an ordinary school teacher, all with the suit, briefcase, etc. "Miss Jackie Tristan-san?"

"You're not supposed to mix western with Japanese, professor." She corrected him. "Right now he's relaxing in the park, what else could he do?"

"And his training?" The stranger asked.

"He's training. Don't know much more 'bout it – so far he's been training with Ginjo. And before you ask, no, I don't know the recovery process of the shinigami substitute. I don't know what kind of a deal you managed to strike with Ginjo, but I find it odd that he would let an ordinary human get anywhere close to us." She tilted her head asking the silent question, a gesture that the stranger immediately noticed.

"You're three thousand years too young to be asking me that question, girl. I'm just a school teacher. Trust me; it's safer that way, for all of us."

"For us, or for you, teacher-san?"

He smirked softly, as a spark appeared in his brown eyes.

"Don't toy with me, little girl." Without ever dropping that kind smile, he reached out and touched her with his finger.

Jackie's first thought was to brush it off and teach the asshole a lesson in manners, but then her eyes widened in fear, as he concealed reiatsu washed over her.

"Well, I believe I should return home to plan for my lessons tomorrow. Take care, Tristan-san."

As she watched him walk away, she stumbled back and leaned her back on the wall of the park, breathing heavily. Her heart was pounding.

'_How he convinced Ginjo to work with him…?'_ She placed her hand over her mouth, holding back the urge to vomit, as sweat rolled down her face. _'It felt as if my heart was being pulled out… What kind of a monster is he?'_ She could still see him in the distance. "Ginjo… what did you get us into?" she faintly whispered through her fingers.

O-O-O

'_So she got no info?' _A voice said inside the teacher's head.

'_The human companion of Kurosaki Ichigo remains silent, whether out of secrecy of a true lack of knowledge, I don't know, though I'm willing to believe the second.' _He replied using the mental link. On the other side of the link, he could hear the other person sigh.

'_We're back at square one, aren't we, Umbra-san?'_ A second later, he corrected himself. _'Aka-san.'_

'_How are your plans, Ao? Are you any closer to taking Las Noches?'_

'_Las Noches?' _The arrancar king replied with a hateful scoff._ 'That bastard Kuchiki has the place under near impenetrable defenses. He even added a ring of seventeen outposts surrounding the castle, along with fourteen smaller outposts placed further out into the desert. My arrancar managed to take out several of them, but this whole keep-our-activities-below-Royal-Guard-radar has our efforts nearly grind to a halt. I'm not saying we should start sending Vasto Lorde for something so trivial, but seriously Aka-san, one Adjuchas could handle the job of a dozen Gilian within half the time.'_

'_No.' _Aka, or Umbra as he was otherwise known, replied. _'Keep sending my Adjuchas to Europe. I will need them there when the time is right. Gillian are far more expendable.' _He then decided to change the subject of the conversation. _'And what of your side? Do you have anything to report?'_

'_What you mean aside from Byakuya's super jacked up defenses? I got nothing. Nada.'_

Umbra shook his head, annoyed by his second-in-command's antics. Severing the link to Hueco Mundo, he continued to walk. He had a class to prepare for.

Hueco Mundo will fall, given time. He just had to make sure it wouldn't fall too fast. Soul Society will follow, and then the human word will… he trailed off in his thoughts. If given enough time, all his plans, the plans he set in motion on the day he started his quest for vendetta almost three millennia ago, would unravel.

'_Count your every breath a precious one, oh prince of Soul Society, for soon, it might be your last…'_

O-O-O

(Meanwhile, back with Ichigo)

To say Ichigo's day began on the wrong track would be a definite understatement.

When he woke up that morning, his head felt like it was spit in half, then into quarters. A closer inspection in front of the bathroom mirror confirmed his suspicions, revealing his very bloodshot eyes. During the following hours, things didn't really turn different. He was constantly feeling nauseous, and on more than one occasion he had lost his balance for no apparent reason, as if he was drunk or something.

At the moment, he was back in his apartment in the fifth division's premises holding the giant sealed form of his zanpakutou in his lap, trying to meditate his way into his inner world. To state the obvious, it wasn't really working, and it definitely didn't do any good for his throbbing headache. The worst of all however, was the feeling he had whenever he held his zanpakutou – as if it had become alien to him, a sensation he got only when he held a zanpakutou of another. He couldn't make sense of it.

All the sudden, the alarm clock went off and someone knocked on his door. He stood up, putting away his zanpakutou, turning off the alarm clock and then he walked over to the door.

"Surprised to see me, taichō?" Hinamori chippered.

"Surprised to see you carrying that big bowl, Hinamori. What is it?" The moment he said it, her expression took up another notch in happiness.

"Just some stew I cooked up thinking how you always forget to make lunch for yourself."

"Stew?"

"Yep~! Full of protein and energy for someone who's trying to get stronger!" She said as she walked past him, inside.

He smiled back at her while standing by the open door, though somewhat apologetically.

"I'm really grateful Hinamori, but I can't eat right now. I got to go take care of something." Seeing her smile drop a little, he quickly continued. "But I'll be back soon! Okay?"

"Sure~!"

"By the way, I didn't know you know to cook."

She smiled sheepishly at his comment.

"To be honest, I didn't ether. But I got this great recipe from-" She suddenly realized that Ichigo was already gone. She was alone, with a bowl of steaming stew in her hands.

O-O-O

"Everything ready?" Asked one of the three conspirators.

"Oh, yea." The second replied.

"Did you remember to bribe the two guards to leave their post for a window of fifteen minutes?" the third one asked. It was the voice of a woman. The second answered by nodding.

"Hey, why did I have to do everything anyways?" The second asked, only to get tapped on the head by the third.

"Because I was the one that came up with the plan and your buddy here said it wasn't beautiful. Now, did you make sure our guest of honor will be arriving on time, baldy?"

"WHADDYA CALL ME!"

"Keep it down. People might hear us, baldy."

"YOU DID IT AGAIN! I'LL KILL YA!"

"Be quiet! Do you want me to tattletale to your fukutaicho, do you?"

The door of the dark room they were in suddenly opened with a bang, as Ichigo entered the place.

"What the hell are you three idiots doing here? And what's with this note?" he pulled out a piece of paper to reveal a handwriting that could easily belong to a top scribe in medieval Europe. He noticed that all three of them wore masks on their faces.

"I found that the writing of these two just was unacceptably ugly." One of them replied.

Ichigo glared at them.

"And so you three decided to yank my chain for laughs, right Rangiku-san, Ikkaku, Yumichika?"

The trio looked at him in surprise.

"How did you figure it out, Ichigo~?" Matsumoto asked in wonder.

Ichigo pointed his hand at each of them.

"Feathers. Bald." He could see a vein bulge on Ikkaku's temple.

"And me~?"

"What are you, stupid?" His eyes went slightly lower than her face. "Everything!"

Matsumoto took off her mask.

"Aww, you're no fun, Ichigo-chan~!

"C'mon Ichigo," Ikkaku said as he took of his mask, "Your train home will be leaving in two hours."

O-O-O

END OF CHAPTER

O-O-O

Omake

Half an hour had passed since Ichigo ran out the door saying he had something to take care of, leaving Hinamori alone in his apartment. She was sitting at the table.

"Where is he?" She wondered in annoyance. She spent a good portion of the morning cooking, and now that she finished it, he was nowhere in sight. She looked at the bowl, worried that it might have cooled off.

'_I better put it back on the stove…'_

And so she did, warming it again over a light fire.

'_I wonder what he'll think of this… Hopefully he won't be too embarrassed.'_ Come to think of it, she never got the chance to taste it, since the moment she finished cooking she grabbed it and took it to Ichigo.

'_Guess it wouldn't hurt…'_ She took a spoon and had a small sip. Her eyes instantly widened, and her face went through several shades of green before she spat out what little she had of it in her mouth and started coughing.

'_This is terrible!'_ She thought to herself as she stared at the bowl as if it was now brimming with poison. _'I'm so glad Kurosaki-kun didn't stay to eat!' _She took the bowl and emptied its content in the toilet. _'I have to get back and do it again before he gets back.'_

"Good thing I saved that recipe that Rangiku-san gave me~!"

O-O-O

The end?

O-O-O

A/N: There you have it folks, chapter 4.

_So much from me!_ _See ya next time! Hope it won't take long! And don't forget to review! (don't even think about forgetting! ^^)_

_~KuroiTori-sama_


	5. Chapter 5: Troubles tend to follow me

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

Rating T (I guess)

Mini author note:

"Hollow" – normal talking in the outside world and shinigami talking inside inner world

'_Hollow'_ – thinking

**'**_**Hollow'**_– Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking to shinigami while shinigami is in the outside world. Inner hollow/zanpakutou thinking in the inner world.

**"****Hollow"** –Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking inside the inner world.

… – Short pauses that couldn't be described otherwise. (Only when used in an empty line)

A/N: A huge thanks to my reviewers - LAWLS117, Amazu, SparklyColours, Hitmanforyou, megachile and four people who forgot to name themselves (I'd really appreciate it if you wrote something in your name box. I feel kinda bad I can't thank you properly for your reviews this way).

2nd A/N: A lot of you people expressed confusion on the subject of the character representing an imprint of Aizen. When I said that he was and wasn't Aizen, I meant it literally – he _is_ an imprint of Aizen, but he can't be the real Aizen, the real one is dead. He blames both the original Aizen as well as Ichigo for his current condition.

PS: For the record, those that labeled Momo's cooking as the problem should reread the last omake. You'll see it had nothing to do with the result.

O-O-O

Chapter five: Troubles tend to follow me, part one

O-O-O

"How is this even possible?" Aizen asked, as he slowly opened his eyes. Sitting next to him, just outside of arm's reach, was the Hollow. The large katana was stabbed into the ground, allowing the Hollow to lean on it. Aizen could see that its edge was still colored red from his blood.

"**Not sure." **The Hollow shrugged. **"I always thought it was supposed to work only on zanpakutou. The resonance, that is."**

Aizen tried to move, but the unbearable pain in his chest forced him to give up.

"And the images? Were they real?"

"**Yea. All of them."**

"Even…?"

"**Even that one."** Seeing the disbelief in Aizen's eyes, the Hollow just shrugged. **"You can believe what you want to believe. I won't force you either way."**

Again, Aizen stared at the Hollow in disbelief.

"So that funeral…?"

"**All yours…"** the Hollow explained. **"Well, not entirely yours. It was also a funeral for your accomplices, Tosen and Ichimaru. Since the Primera's body was the only one recovered, they buried him there as well."**

"But, why would they…?"

"**You forget who brought you down? Ichigo put them up to it. Kinda hard to say no to a guy like that, especially after all he has done for them."**

Still lying on the ground, Aizen covered his eyes with his hand. "Why on Earth would he do such a thing? Weren't I his enemy?"

Hearing this, the Hollow scoffed. **"Well, if you ever figure him out, let me know. I gave up on that fruitless endeavor a long time ago."** He ran his hand through his hair, gazing at the moonless sky. _**'Don't worry, King. I'll find a way to fix all of this…somehow. Just hold on.' **_Aizen spoke up again, drawing his attention.

"I have a question for you."

"**Why I haven't killed you yet?"**

"No. I'll take that for granted, for what it's worth." He turned his head to look at the Hollow. "Earlier, you said you had a name. May I ask you that?"

The Hollow remained silent for a moment. Just when Aizen accepted the silence as a form of the Hollow's refusal, the bleached teen let out a sigh.

"**Ichigo. My name is Ichigo."**

Taken aback by such a simple reply, Aizen examined the expression on the Hollow's face. He did not see what he expected. The Hollow's face betrayed exhaustion. Along with boundless determination.

"Strange. I did not expect you to adopt the name of your jailor." To his further surprise, the Hollow began to laugh.

"**Jailor? Is that what you think Ichigo is to me?"** The Hollow rubbed his forehead, still laughing like he just heard the best joke of his life. **"Let me explain it to you. Ichigo is me. And I am him. There is zero difference between the two of us. I didn't adopt his name. It was mine since the day I was born."**

"But, you are a-"

"**Hollow? And he's what? Shinigami?"** The Hollow paused, and placed his head in his hands, tapping the top of his forehead with his fingers. **"Took me a while to figure it out. You see, that's a lie. All of it. There's no such thing. Shinigami, Hollow, whatever. There's only human. Always was and always will be."**

Now it was Aizen's turn to laugh, only he did so silently, in order not to offend the unpredictable Hollow, just in case, so he wouldn't change his mind about letting him live. "I find that theory hard to believe."

The Hollow smirked to hearing Aizen's opinion. **"You think so? Then step in line. Zangetsu doesn't believe it either."** He slapped his forehead, and began laughing again. **"Sometimes I don't believe it either."** He added mirthfully.

"Good thing I can't stand up," Aizen said with a mocking smile, "or else I would slap you."

"**Good thing I can't get up either**," the hollow replied with that same smile, **"or else I'd still be trying to kill you."** They both laughed.

"Odd." Aizen said. "All my research indicated that all inner Hollows are insane. That was one of the reasons I abandoned the project in the first place."

"**Who says I'm not insane?"** The Hollow asked with a raised eyebrow. **"Here I am perfectly determined to allow myself to be devoured just so that Ichigo would have the power to defend the people precious to him for little longer. If that ain't insanity, than I don't know what is."**

"So, you are a Hollow, and your name is Ichigo. Mind if I call you Hichigo?" To his amusement, he saw the Hollow struggling to get up, only to fall unceremoniously on his butt.

"**Call me that again and I'll kill you, you asshole!" **

Aizen started to laugh at the Hollow, only to suddenly stop and start coughing blood. It seemed that all the laughing managed to reopen the wound on his chest. Now it was the Hollow's turn to laugh at his companion's discomfort.

"**Oh, you so disserved that!"** The Hollow Ichigo exclaimed joyfully while Aizen on the other hand seemed like he could light a candle twenty meters away from the intensity of his glare. Unfortunately for him, the deadliness of it would have to remain metaphorical, a fact reinforced by the ever increasing laughter coming from the Hollow. Isolating himself from the anger, Aizen took a deep breath.

"Let us end this shenanigans, Hollow. Temporary truce?"

The Hollow, still smirking, finally managed to calm down.

With a straight face he said: **"Only if you promise not to suck up all of Ichigo's power I make." **Aizen hesitated for only a minute, weighing his options, and then…

"Deal."

O-O-O

"So, let me get this straight. You three bribed the guards at the senkaimon gate to leave their post when you set out on your trip to Tokyo in two hours…" He looked at his unlikely bail ticket home, the trio that seemingly came through for him. Seeing the unspoken question of doubt in his eyes, Matsumoto nodded in confirmation, with a face expression of pure seriousness, an image that Ichigo found to be strikingly more appropriate for a woman like her, when compared to the childish behavior she would tend to display on many occasions. He continued his sentence "…and at that time I'll be able to slip through undetected because your benefactor…" Ichigo paused for a second to stress his disbelief in that person's existence, having already ruled out Hitsugaya. Chances are Zaraki wouldn't even notice that there was something wrong.

"Look, we've been looking for a way to send you home to your family for the whole month now." Ikkaku blurted out, aggravated.

"You have?" Ichigo asked.

"Yes, we have! You have a problem with that?" He yelled, pissed at Ichigo's attitude. "Do you doubt the capabilities of your friends?"

"No, not really…" Ichigo replied with a deadpan look.

"You do! You totally do!"

"No, really…" Ichigo answered with that same deadpan look while staring at the wall to his right, seemingly more interested in studying the yellow smears left behind by the past rains than actually discuss the subject at hand.

"I'll kill you!" Ikkaku went for his katana, but Matsumoto pushed him nonchalantly out of the way.

"We weren't doing this alone, Ichigo." She said, pulling her hair behind her ear. "No matter what you may believe, none of your friends has forgotten you."

"But… the twelfth division-?"

"Will not even know you are there, Ichigo." She interjected. "We made sure of that."

Ichigo stared at her in disbelief, than with that same look he turned and faced both Ikkaku and Yumichika.

"Wow, you guys…" he was left speechless. "Thanks."

Ikkaku stepped closer and slapped him on the shoulder, making Ichigo stumble forward. "Don't thank us just yet, Ichigo." He gave him a wink. "Do it when you get back from your trip."

"Will do." He turned to leave, only to glance over his shoulder. "See you all in two hours."

O-O-O

For Hitsugaya Toshiro, the day was turning out to be quite tedious. First of all, Matsumoto's preparations for the upcoming mission in the real world – which he seriously doubted she was performing at all – left him with doing the entirety of her half of the paperwork. Now that he was finally finished, he had come up with a plan to take his childhood friend Hinamori with him to visit his granny – only to realize that he couldn't find Hinamori anywhere! It was as if she disappeared of the face of the Earth, err… Soul Society. He already checked the barracks of the fifth division, and then the entire fifth division complex, coming up empty both times. He reached up and scratched the top of his head, wondering where else he could look – after all, the fifth division was Hinamori's life. If she was not there, where else could she be?

"Try checking out the gravesite, Hitsugaya-taicho." One of the passing shinigami said, bowing his head respectively.

"Eh?" Toshiro replied intelligently.

"The grave where they buried the bodies of the enemies of the last war, taicho." The shinigami quickly answered.

"At ease." Toshiro released the shinigami. As the young man walked away beaming with pride that he had proved his usefulness to a captain of the Gotei 13, Toshiro frowned at his newfound knowledge, deeply displeased by it. He tried to talk Ichigo out of it, back when the orange haired teen first proposed it. The discussion got to a moot point almost at the very beginning, and the subsequent shout-fest the followed, which ended by Sōtaicho ordering Toshiro's and other captains' expulsion from the hall in which the Captain council had gathered. Left to discuss the subject matter in private, Ichigo somehow managed to talk the Sōtaicho into it. For Toshiro at least, what was said behind those closed doors remained a secret.

'_Like Hinamori wasn't messed up enough already, he just _had_ to give her a place that would serve as a link to that dirtbag.' _As he walked towards the place where the grave was located – a forest about a click southwest from the fifth division's complex – Toshiro began to unconsciously clench his fists. _'When I get my hands on that Kurosaki…'_ he cursed, _'I'm going to-'_

He didn't finish. He couldn't.

Just as the large blue obelisk that marked the gravesite came into view, Toshiro had noticed the person that he considered to be his best friend – and for a long time – his only friend. In spite of all the talk of her apparent recovery, Toshiro had his doubts – doubts that he believed would be confirmed in that very moment. But instead, he was left speechless, able to only stand there silently and observe, with his mouth open wide, in a sentence began, but never given sound.

Hinamori Momo was in the middle of a clearing among trees, some good thirty meters form the obelisk. Her zanpakutou, Tobiume, drawn and released, was burning down its full length in a furious blaze, unlike any Toshiro had ever seen. At the very tip of the blade, there was a small fireball spinning like a miniature version of a burning hurricane. Despite Tobiume's powers primarily behaving like a sort of light artillery, able to fire burning spheres of destruction at the enemy, this sphere seemed to remain fixed on top of the sword. Every time Hinamori would make a step, regardless of the direction, her movement would trigger some sort of hair-trigger trap, causing considerably large sandbags to fall from the high tree branches that webbed atop of the small clearing she was in. Whenever she would trigger such a trap, she would immediately respond, cutting the sandbag in midflight, sometimes even shunpoing above them, hitting it with that same miniscule hurricane of flame.

As result of her efforts, Toshiro could clearly see the ground littered with sand, shards of molten glass, along with the burning remains of the bags that contained the sand. Every time Tobiume's tip, coated in this sphere, made contact with the sandbags, it did not simply cut through the sphere. Where the contact was made, the tiny hurricane would rip through it, burning both the sandbag and the sand that came into contact to nothing, disintegrating it.

'_How many of those did she put up there anyway?'_ Toshiro wondered as he looked up towards the treetops. A second later, he got his answer, when Hinamori deliberately kicked a small branch that protruded from the centre of the small clearing.

Over a hundred sandbags, falling at different rates due to the locations where they were suspended, came down from the above. Toshiro was already half way through his shunpo when _it_ happened.

Hinamori bent her knees, lowering her centre of gravity. In a fraction of a second, the small sphere grew twice in size, then three times over, now resembling a head of a supersized mace rather than tip of a sword. In one decisive swing, she obliterated all that were on top of her.

Toshiro, still in midflight, had barely microseconds to react.

'_Too late…'_

Unable to stop, he crashed into her, causing them both to fall tumbling to the ground, rolling over the dirt, grass and glass for a second or two – with the last luckily being too small to actually cut them – before they were forcefully pulled to a stop by a tree, which all too readily met Toshiro's back with a loud thud, followed immediately by Toshiro's manly yell (or at least that's what he called it) and Hinamori's protests.

O-O-O

Half an hour later, after the two friends returned to the fifth division, and after Hinamori made sure that her squad could do without her, she had agreed to accompany Toshiro on his visit to his grandmother. But there were still a few things that she had to do before she could go with him, and therefore, she headed to her private quarters. Once she got there, she walked inside and closed the door behind her. Hinamori then proceeded to take off her waraji sandals and the once white, now dirt stained tabi socks, and place the former next to the door. Now barefooted, she tossed the dirty socks with her right hand through the open door of the bathroom into the laundry basket, then walked over to the small closet where she kept the cleaning&maintenance kit. Picking up the small wooden box, she carried it with her into the bathroom, with Tobiume still strapped to her side. She sat down next to the wall of her bathtub and leaned on it, before unsheathing Tobiume and placing the blade in her lap, careful that the blade's edge always remained pointing away from her. It was then that she heard the childish voice of her zanpakutou inside her thoughts.

'_**It's not like I would ever cut you, master.'**_

"I know you don't want to, Tobiume, but we still have to be careful." Just before she could wipe the blade with a piece of rice paper that she got out of the wooden box, Tobiume's sealed form began to wiggle and morph. A second later, instead of a katana, there was a fully released form of Tobiume lying on Hinamori's lap. Hinamori looked at the sword reproachfully.

'_**What?'**_

"Tobiume! We agreed you wouldn't release on your own!"

'_**Why is that such a bad thing? Senbonzakura saved his master's life that way.'**_

"That was different. It was wartime. Otherwise, releasing of a zanpakutou is considered a criminal offence! We could get in trouble if someone notices."

'_**Don't worry; I've reduced my reiatsu output to a minimum. No one will notice. And besides, I want you to do a proper cleaning.'**_

"Is there really that much of a difference?"

'_**Of course there is!'**_ Tobiume said. _**'It's no different form washing your feet instead of taking a bath!'**_

"Okay, okay, I understand… geez…" She proceeded to wipe the entire blade with her rice paper – a task suddenly turned more difficult, all thanks to the extra edges Tobiume receives every time she is released. Once the task was done, Hinamori reached for the wooden box, this time taking out a small powder ball. She tapped the broadside of the sword to get the powder to start falling out, then proceeded to spread it all over the blade's length.

'_**Excellent!'**_ Tobiume cheered joyfully. _**'Oh! Careful, master. You're getting some of my powder on your Shihakushō.'**_

"Don't worry, I'll be more careful."

'_**Don't breathe it in.**__' _Tobiume warned her.

"I won't." Momo replied assuringly. She then proceeded to take a clean piece of rice paper, and began polishing the blade.

'_**Mmmm…'**_Momo giggled hearing her zanpakutou.

"Tobiume? Are you purring?"

'_**I can't help it! This feels so good~! Mmmm… A bit lower, master.' **_ Hinamori did as she was asked. _**'Oh! That's the spot…' **_Not being able to hold it in any longer, Momo burst into laughing.

'_**What? Don't stop now!'**_ Tobiume yelled, annoyed that Momo had stopped polishing the blade. _**'What is it?'**_

"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking what some people would think if they'd overhear our conversation, that's all." In the back of her mind, she could feel the little girl blushing.

'_**Shut up!'**_

"Okay, okay…"

…

Once that part was done, she took a small bottle of sword oil and applied a few drops along both sides of the blade.

'_**Brrr… It's cold, master!'**_

"Don't complain, Tobiume." Momo replied gleefully. "You like this part too, remember?" And, just as she said, in no time, her thoughts were filled with the sound of joyful purring.

O-O-O

Finally, she was done with her work on Tobiume. She could hear the spirit of the little girl laugh cheerfully, as it played inside of Momo's inner world. The good mood the little girl felt was contagious –and it didn't take long for Momo to start smiling for no good reason.

"My turn now." Slowly, she removed her Shihakushō. After she got the water at just the right temperature, she got inside, enjoying the feel of warm water soaking her skin. Fully relaxing her muscles, she allowed herself to sink down beneath the water.

'_This must've been the real reason I became a fukutaicho… A bathtub you can lie down into.'_

'_**I thought it was because you had a crush on that guy – what's his name again – Aizen?'**_Momo nearly started to drown.

'_I did not!'_ She protested. _'Why does everyone say that? I admired him greatly, yes! But there was no romance at all!'_

'_**Really?'**_Tobiume replied, not convinced one bit.

'_W-What's that su-suposed to mean?' _Momo blurted out, while inside of her inner world, Tobiume wondered why the bathwater wasn't yet boiling from the heat of her wielder's blush.

'_**I bet you would love the view from in here, master. All the grass just turned a pretty pink.'**_

'_Tobiume…'_ Momo pleaded.  
_**'Whatever helps you sleep at night, master.'**_

'_Tobi-u-m-eee!'_

The little girl inside her head continued to laugh.

O-O-O

As Ikkaku walked into the view, Yumichika started waving his hand.

"Over here, Ikkaku! We're over here!"

When Ikkaku finally walked up to his friend, he gave him a good slap on the back of the head.

"Don't shout like that, moron. We don't want anyone noticing us. If we get an audience, a whole month of planning goes down the toilet."He said, and then added. "If it's your fault, you'll be going with it." Only then did he notice that Yumichika wasn't listening to him at all.

"You messed up my hair, Ikkaku!"

"QUIET YOU IDIOT!"

All of a sudden, Yumichika looked up to him with a dead serious expression. "Ikkaku…"

"Yes?"

"Don't shout. You'll gather unwanted attention."

"I'll frickin' kill you!"

Finally, when it appeared that the bald man would strangle his friend, Matsumoto walked up to them and slapped some sense into them both.

"Quiet, both of you. He's here." They all turned to great Ichigo, who in turn just waved his hand.

"See! He doesn't shout like some people!" Yumichika complained.

"You were the first to start, you braindead!"

Matsumoto shook her head in disbelief. Finally, the senkaimon opened. She pointed at the gate, now open wide.

"Team Matsumoto, move out!"

As everyone ran into the dimensional passage, Ikkaku couldn't help it. "Why the hell 'Matsumoto'? I told you we should call ourselves 'team Zaraki'!"

Without even bothering to look at the bald man, Matsumoto pulled back her hair behind her ear. "And I told you, I'm in charge, so I get to choose the name. If you want to complain, you can always complain to your fukutaicho."

"Erm… I'll be quiet."

It took them a few moments to notice that Ichigo was having a lot of trouble keeping up with them.

"What's the matter, Ichigo? Our pace too fast for ya?" Ikkaku asked tauntingly. In response, Ichigo grinned.

"NOT IN YOUR LIFE!" Before he even finished his sentence, he speeded up, using a boost of reiatsu.

O-O-O

Deep inside Ichigo's inner world, Aizen watched the Hollow that called himself Ichigo stumble and fall only five minutes after he managed to get back on his feet.

"Everything okay?"

Without even trying to get back on his feet, the hollow replied: **"Just peachy. That asshole seems to be sucking out more power than I was currently giving him."**

"Is that bad?"

The Hollow groaned.

"**He better be fighting for his dear life. Because if he ain't, he soon will be!"**

O-O-O

_(30 minutes later, above Tokyo)_

"Did he leave?" Yumichika asked, with a serious voice.

"Aha…" Ikkaku replied. "Good thing he's such an idiot, or we'd be fine and thoroughly screwed here."

"Are you still feeling bad we lied about our mission, Matsumoto-san?" She shook her head.

"We barely talked him out of joining us on a supply mission. He felt that he owed us. There wouldn't be any time to protect him and ourselves at the same time if he went along." From the sky where they were, they looked down.

"She's a real beauty, ain't she?" Ikkaku said sarcastically, looking down upon a thirty stories tall office block. "It used to be our frontal Tokyo HQ…"

"And now…" Yumichika continued for him, "…it seems as if all life inside the building and the surrounding city block have been utterly eradicated."

A shiver of excitement traveled down Ikkaku's spine. "Can't wait to meet the one who did all that! It'll be a blast!" He immediately took point, with Matsumoto and Yumichika following close behind, their zanpakutou drawn.

As their feet touched the ground, Matsumoto warned them.

"Be on your guard. We have to be ready for the worse."

As soon as she finished her sentence, the whole city block went into a blackout, and the air was filled by the screams of a thousand starving beasts.

O-O-O

(Meanwhile, in the streets of Krakura)

Ichigo strolled down the streets, with his hands tucked in the sleeves of his Shihakushō – a poor replacement for good pockets, but it would have to do. Besides, now that he was back into the real world, and feeling the familiar sounds of the busy city wash over him, the sounds of a city he grew up in, Ichigo couldn't help but feel his heart swollen of joy.

"Can't wait to see everyone again." And there was a huge list of people he wanted to see – Karin, Yuzu, old man, Chad, Inoue, Ihida, Tatsuki, Mizuiro, Keigo… The list seemed to go on indefinitely. Maybe it was the overwhelming joy. Maybe it was the lack of condensed reishi in the atmosphere. Or maybe it was his weakened state that was to blame. Either way, Ichigo failed to notice that a man walked up behind him right until they were less than a meter apart.

All of a sudden, Ichigo spun around, grabbing the hilt of his zanpakutou. The man behind him stopped and laughed scornfully. The first thing that caught Ichgo's eye was the mask fragment on his face.

'_Arrancar!' _The mask was on the arrancar's right cheek – an upper jaw – but it extended around the back of the arrancar's head and also seemed to posses some sort of crest protruding upwards.

"That it? That's his great leverage?" Before Ichigo could even blink, the arrancar was barely inches away from him. He whispered in his ear."Hey, Kurosaki-brat, settle a bet, will ya?" With a powerful blow to the face, the arrancar launched the orange haired teen through the wall of the building, straight into a small dark room. After sonido-ing after him, the arrancar kneeled next to the teen, pulling up the boy's head by the hair.

"Out cold already?" He let out a faint sigh. "Damn. I was hoping he'd at least last until I tore of a limb or two… How pathetic." He put his two fingers into his mouth and let out a sharp whistle.

"You called, Ao-sama?" A second arrancar asked, as he appeared next to his master. As Ao turned towards him, the weaker arrancar fell on his knees, bowing his head in respect.

"Leave the kid stuff for when we get back home, worm. My name is Arturo Plateado! And as far as I care, Umbra can shove his codenames where the sun don't shine." He then turned to look at Ichigo's fallen body. He let out another sigh.

"I don't see why Umbra was making him out to be such a big deal. Still…" He turned and walked back out into the street. "Just in case it wasn't all bullshit…" He turned towards the arrancar and pulled his thumb over his throat. Still on his knees, the arrancar bowed his head lower.

"It will be done, Plateado-sama."

"Remember to make it look like he was done in by a wild hollow. Kill him without using your zanpakutou."

"Yes, Plateado-sama."

"Good." The king of Hueco Mundo replied. "I don't want Umbra breathing down my neck so fast."

'_At least…'_ he thought to himself, as he scratched the skin on the right side of his neck, at the very point where it connected with his torso, feeling the hard surface of a small blue marvel _'…until I learn how to remove the safety off of this thing.'_

The arrancar, hearing the sound of a sonido, interpreted it as a sign that his master has departed. He slowly stood up, and put white gloves on his hands.

"Let's go boy. In the name of the God-King of Hueco Mundo." A vicious grin spread across his face. "Time to rip you limb… from ..." he cracked his knuckles "…fucking limb."

O-O-O

End of chapter 5

A/N: And I've managed to update! Yay me! :p

Hope you liked it. More is coming. Don't forget to drop a review while you're still here.

Bye!

~KuroiTori-sama


	6. Chapter 6: Troubles tend to follow me, 2

_**Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach**_

Rating T (I guess)

Mini author note:

"Hollow" – normal talking in the outside world and shinigami talking inside inner world

'_Hollow'_ – thinking

**'**_**Hollow'**_– Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking to shinigami while shinigami is in the outside world. Inner hollow/zanpakutou thinking in the inner world.

**"****Hollow"** –Inner hollow/zanpakutou talking inside the inner world.

… – Short pauses that couldn't be described otherwise. (Only when used in an empty line)

A/N: A huge thanks to my reviewers – Megachile, Tensa Zangetsu 17, MugetsuIchigo, Deviltrigger Dante, 90s kid, Alchemists19, Dark Little World, Shreelei, Sentinel07, Sterling's Blog, Lil Mexican, and anon for reviewing.

2nd A/N: To KazeKira –I can only guess that you were looking for an _Über!Ichigo, since a lot of those stories came out at the point Ichigo lost his powers in the manga carried that plotline. *shrugs* Not my problem. _

_3d A/N: To Anon – You called it._

_O-O-O_

_Chapter six: Troubles tend to follow me, part 2_

_O-O-O_

_(Previously on "Innocence is a Virtue")_

_The arrancar, hearing the sound of a sonido, interpreted it as a sign that his master has departed. He slowly stood up, and put white gloves on his hands._

"_Let's go boy. In the name of the God-King of Hueco Mundo." A vicious grin spread across his face. "Time to rip you limb… from ..." he cracked his knuckles "…fucking limb."_

O-O-O

As the arrancar approached Ichigo's unconscious body, his features became more prominent, as he emerged from the shadows. Rather pintsized for an arrancar, he wore a uniform of those that served under Aizen's reign, which was by now incorporated into the proper attire of arrancar everywhere. His mask covered more than half of his face, an indicator of his, to be quite frank, rather lacking powers. It took the shape of an ox, covering the left side of his face, and stretching for more than the half of the back of his head at the back. His sole bullhorn was broken off half way to the tip.

"Too bad you're not awake, former shinigami substitute. My lord commanded me to make it look like a work of an ordinary Hollow." He grabbed Ichigo by the neck, pulling his limp body off the ground. "I believe that includes at least partial devouring as well." He held his other hand against Ichigo's chest, his nails slowly digging into the teen's flesh.

It happened faster than the arrancar could even register that a threat had appeared. One moment he was ready to put the shinigami substitute out of his misery, and the second – he was sent flying backwards, launched with enough force to propel him out of the building they were in, widening the hole in the wall Ichigo's assailants made a few moments ago.

The arrancar was quick to get back on his feet, but even though he drew his sword immediately, both his prey, along with the person that got in his way, were gone.

"I'm so gonna get eaten for this…"

O-O-O

(Meanwhile, with team Matsumoto)

"Please tell me one of you two remembered to bring a flashlight." Matsumoto groaned.

"Erm…" Yumichika chuckled nervously, only to have his face illuminated by faint green glow sticks.

"This'll have to do." He heard Ikkaku mutter as he handed each of them one of those sticks. He immediately frowned.

"I'm not very comfortable with this, Ikkaku…"

"Why? Does the color mismatch with your outfit?" Ikkaku asked impatiently.

"Well, there's that – and you can't see very far with one of these. I'd rather avoid having a bullseye painted on me." Of course, for Yumichika, that was just a front. It was in perfect darkness that he could fight at his full potential. But at least, for now, it would have to wait till he was alone.

"**If you two pigeons are done bickering…"** A three-story tall Hollow spoke** "…we could get this show on the ro-"** Immediately, he fell, sliced in half by Matsumoto's blade.

"This guy seemed to be a pushover." Matsumoto said, giving the eleventh division's duo a wink. "Hopefully, others are too." A sudden rise in Hollow reiatsu made her bite her lip. "Or not."

"Fine by me!" Ikkaku said. "Yumichika!" He called out as he charged towards the closest Hollow presence. "Get the ugly one!"

Just before he got to slash the foe of his choosing, Yumichika shunpo-ed in his way, killing the Hollow as the green light revealed it.

"Don't butt into other people's fights, Yumichika!"

"They're all ugly – be more specific!"

O-O-O

Somebody nudged him. Ichigo groaned. Something was off. Like his head was full of cotton. Or maybe it had something to do with the fact that the ground was somewhere above his head? Again, he felt as if he was being nudged. He opened his eyes, finding himself in an, err, rather undesirable situation. Namely, he was staring at his someone's butt. And not the right kind of butt.

"GAAHH! Let-! Let go!" He started to push against his rescuer, making the person drop him. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You're-" He suddenly stopped talking, as he realized he was talking to himself – literally. _'No way.'_ He stared at a mirror image of himself, albeit in human attire. Well to say a mirror image, that would have been a …

"Kon? !"

"Yo, Ichigo!"

"Whatthehell?" Ichigo blurted out, staring at what he considered to be his own body. Only, the way things were… "What the hell did you do to my body, you damn plushie?" he shouted at the modsoul. His/Kon's hair was dyed into toxic green, and even had a double set of earrings.

"How rude! Is that any way to thank someone for saving your life, Ichigo?"

"Save my what?"

"Remember dumbass! An arrancar was about to eat you. _Eat_ you! How can you forget something like that?"

Ichigo stared at him with an empty gaze. "An… arrancar?" And then the memory came rushing back. The image of the arrancar whose reiatsu he couldn't feel, even at a meter distance. He looked down to the ground.

"You okay, Ichigo?"

"I'm far from okay, Kon." He said, than flashed a smile. "But I'll manage."

'_So mature…'_ immediately flashed in Kon's mind. He was surprised when Ichigo coughed dramatically in his hand.

"Now," Ichigo spoke with an eerie sense of calmness, "back to the matter at hand." Like the jaws of a bear trap, his fingers closed around Kon's neck. Word after word, he hissed out through his clenched teeth. "What. Have. You. Done. To. _My body_?"

'_He's not mature at all!'_

"What did you do! ? Who gave you the permission to do whatever you liked?" Ichigo yelled, all the while shaking him like a ragdoll.

"I-i-i…Is-s…"

"Who! ?"

"Cnt… br…eathe!"

"KON!"

"C-clip-ons and h-hair gel!"

"What?" Ichigo frowned and loosened his grip. However, he did not let go just yet.

"The earrings, see" he took the left one off. "Fake, nothing to worry about… see…see…?"

Ichigo grabbed the right earring and yanked it off, painfully.

"I see. And the hair?"

"It's just hair gel. It'll washout, I promise!" Kon yelled, holding his hand over his right ear. Finally letting go of Kon's neck, Ichigo touched the mod-soul's hair, only to retract his hand in disgust.

"How much gel did you use anyway?"

"Don't ask. Let's get you to Uhahara's. Everyone's waiting."

Ichigo took a step back and turned away.

"No."

"What? Why?"

"I'm going home. I haven't seen Karin or Yuzu in over six months."

Kon sighed. "Dude, are you crazy? They'll flay me alive if I don't show up with you! What will you do then?"

"…Ask for popcorn?"

"Jerk… Don't take too long, okay?"

"I'll be there in an hour." Ichigo said reassuringly, then turned and shunpo-ed some hundred meters in the direction of his home.

"Don't take too long! You hear me!" Kon shouted after him, them more silently he added, "Asshole…" To his surprise, Ichigo stopped.

"Did you say something Kon?" The mod-soul herd him shout.

"Errr… Welcome home, Ichigo!"

…

Later, as Ichigo approached the home he knew so well, he allowed his senses to spread out, examining everything. And it was beautiful. Glorious. To him, it was no different than exploring a world he never saw before – a world he never _could see _before. For the first time since he could remember, he could feel out the world around him without the brunt of his own reiatsu getting in the way. It was like lifting off a thick, heavy veil – there, inside the house, he could feel Karin and Yuzu for the first time as something more than just the blips he learned to recognize. Far off to his right, he felt Urahara and the others, waiting for him. Being able to reach out into such a distance with his senses seemed… unreal.

Almost in a direct line behind him, Ichigo felt the presence of an arrancar moving away, most likely running for his or hers life after failing to kill him. At least, that's what made the most sense to him at the moment. He probably should be more worried. Running off to Urahara and the others, getting help and all, that seemed to be the most sensible course of action, but for the life of him, he just couldn't bring himself to go right away. The one thing he could think about at the moment – the _only_ thing he could think about at the moment – was his sisters. He just wanted to run into the house, and hug them so hard that they couldn't breathe… and then make some rude, jerkish comment to hide how much he missed them. He'd probably slug that father of his in the face, and then try to outshout him in the pointless argument that would ensue – simply because he could, because it was fun. And everything would be back as it used to be. Before Aizen. Before the shinigami. Before Rukia. He winced at the last thought, feeling guilty for thinking about her like that. Maybe he would make it up to her somehow… subtly, of course.

'_You still know how to do subtle, do you Ichigo?'_ He asked himself. His past record as a shinigami begged to differ. Over the past year, subtle more or less took upon a meaning of 'slightly less explosions than usual'. _'Maybe I should just get some fireworks, nothing big… kill two birds with one stone… eh, rocket.' _ He grabbed the door knob.

O-O-O

(at the same time)

"You seriously don't look so good, Hichigo-san."

The aforementioned Hollow was laying on the ground of the ruined city, trying to regain his strength, and to shut out the irritating comments of Ichigo's soul's newest tenant – none other than Aizen Sōsuke… in a way.

"**Up yours – and what did I tell you about that nickname!"** Aizen smirked, leaning back on a large chunk of torn off wall.

"But Hichigo-san, it's very confusing thinking of you both as Ichigo."

"**NO IT ISN'T!"**

"But Hichigo-san-"

"**SHUT UP! I swear to God I liked you better when you had no sense of humor."** The sight of Aizen laughing just served to piss him off even further. The black-robed spirit had to duck to avoid a rock that the Hollow threw at him. Funny how a break from all the scheming and conniving could change a person.

"Jokes aside," he paused and tossed a glance over the ruined landscape before continuing, "what are your plans for restoring this place? You most certainly do not plan to simply continue like this. In the end, every battery must run out."

The hollow did his best to get back up on his knees. **"None of your business. We have a truce, not a bloody thanksgiving."** The smirk on the spectre's face served only to infuriate him further. **"Don't go buddy-buddy with me. That crap won't fly." **Truthfully, he had no clue how to restore the sideways world back to being, well… sideways. Maybe it would all come back as Ichigo slowly recovered. Maybe it wouldn't. Like Aizen said, he was just the battery – Zangetsu was the real brain of the operation. Either way, the less Aizen knew, the better.

O-O-O

(at the same time)

"You're kidding, right?" Hirako Shinji kicked back in his chair and raised his feet on the table. He eyed for Urahara beneath his newsboy hat. "Seems like ol'Ichigo took a bit of a detour along the way, hmmm?" He sipped on his coffee. "He never was much of a prioritizer now, was he?" For some reason, ever since they realized where the strawberry was heading, Urahara wouldn't leave his desk.

"Oi! Don't bloody go an' ignore me! What the hell are you fiddling with there anyway?"

"You'll see."

"You're not exactly made off glass you know. Can't see through ya."

"Be patient."

"You be patient. I'm bored."

"Then why don't you go and wait in the main room like everybody el- ouch!" He quickly stuck his thumb in his mouth.  
"Hurt yourself now, didn't ya?"

"Mhmm. Mnow shushup!" (Now shut up!)

"Wha'd you got 'ere, anyway? And if it's another world-shattering doohickey like the last one, I call dibs."

"Nothing of the sort." Urahara said with a joyful smirk, then lifted the tube-like device on his shoulder, mentally counting down. _'Three, two, one…'_ The unmistakable sound of a coffee cup being smashed to bits at it hit the ground filled the room as he turned around to show off his latest toy. _'Called it.' _

"Is _that_ a rocket launcher?"

"Don't be ridiculous." Urahara scoffed at the insult. "It's a _guided_ rocket launcher." He quickly typed in some numbers at the small keypad at the side of the weapon. In three large steps, he was next to the window, one leg on the frame, and grinning like the Cheshire cat.

"Lock'n'load!"

O-O-O

Ichigo grabbed the door knob.

Suddenly there was this sound of an object flying through the air. He turned around.

"What the f…!" The rest of it was lost as he was hit by a missile that splattered all over the facade of his home, leaving behind one clear 'Ichigo' outlined clean spot.

"Hh-ptui! Damnit, shit got in my mouth!" He tried to rub it out of his eyes, when he noticed the redness of it. "Is this blood?" He had a pretty good idea where the missile came from. _'When I get my hands on him, I'll shove an Ōkasen up his ass.'_ He paused for a second, rethinking his kidō of vengeance. _'That does not seem physically possible…'_

"Shakkahō it is!"

He didn't even bother to read the message that by now had appeared written across the wall in fake blood.

"Better get your mop'n'bucket ready, Urahara, I'm coming for you!"

O-O-O

Urahara suddenly felt a shiver go down his spine.

"You know, in retrospect, that might not have been the best course of action."

"Wow. And I thought you were the smart one." Shinji mocked as he walked up next to the shopkeeper and patted him on the back. Suddenly the door of the room snapped open and Ishida Uryuu stepped inside.

"What was that noise?"

"Just a little experiment. Here, hold this." Urahara said with a smirk as he tossed the used up rocket launcher to the Quincy.

"What's this?"

As on cue, Urahara put his arm around Shinji's shoulder. They both grinned like madmen, and gave the Quincy thumbs up.

"It's a surprise!"

O-O-O

(Roughly fifteen minutes later)

Ichigo stomped his way into Urahara's shop, out of breath and steaming red from anger… and covered head to toe in fake blood, but let's forget that.

"Bucket-hat!" He walked past his shocked friends, straight to the back room.

Inside the room, Ishida was sitting down with the Launcher in hands. "So you type the coordinates in here, and the missile scoots off to wherever you want it too…" He caught the sight of Ichigo covered in red and drawing his zanpakutou and put two and two together. "Oh… I'll get you for this bucket-hat." Urahara in turn smiled innocently. Ichigo could almost hear the unspoken 'I'm an angel, really'.

Behind the closed door, the vaizard, as well as Inoue and Chad cringed at the sounds of slashing swords and kidō fire, right before the door itself was blown off its hinges. Hiyori was the first to start laughing as all four of them emerged from the room, completely black and charred. She was quickly joined by others once they realized what happened.

Urahara coughed out smoke.

"Why'd you", he stopped to cough again, "why'd you use a spell you didn't master yet, damnit?"

"Shut up!" Ichigo croaked. "Three of us aren't done here yet."

"Hey don't mix me in all of this," Shinji muttered as he rubbed his eyes, "I had nothing to do with this!"

"You are aware I will pay you back for this, right Urahara-san?" Said Ishida as he put his cracked glasses back on.

Finally, Yoruichi had had enough. She snapped her fingers, giving the silent command. Before the four of them could react, Hiyori started moving between them fast as lightning, swinging her deadly sandals to the left and right, one in each hand, with lethal surgical precision. All four were quickly subdued and on the floor holding their various body parts.

"Why didn't you just kill me?" Shinji barely muttered through clenched teeth, while clutching his crotch. He was rewarded by a stuck out tongue from both Hiyori and Yoruichi.

"Maybe now we can get down to business." Ichigo heard the princess say.

O-O-O

End of chapter 6

O-O-O

A/N: Done! Just three more chapters till the end of the first story arc! I'm sorry this chapter is shorter than the others. It just felt right to end it there. I promise the next chapter will be longer than average.

AND I'll update sooner! *crosses fingers behind back* I promise!

Don't forget to drop a review while you're still here. Pretty please?

~KuroiTori-sama

PS: I'm looking for cover images for this story. Any suggestions?


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